Topic: My trip to an undisclosed location (cars - image heavy)

[gregimotis]

The first of three threads with photos from a recent vacation.  I hope these are fun.

















The interiors of many of these machines were fantastic - it hardly shows here.











My transport for the duration.  Hardly as cool as the purring Ford Fairlane I saw earlier this day.  I could have taken hundreds of photos and not gotten all the cars.  Many were rust buckets, but many were also in perfect condition.

[DammitDan]

Nice pics, but where did you go on vacation?     









I only hope I can go down there someday...  It looks like a great place to visit!

[Rocking-M]

Nice Lada! I guess the Russians are exporting eh?

[gregimotis]

Many Ladas around, most of them 10-20 years old but looking much younger. 




These folks know how to take care of what they've got.

[johnrtse]

I have heard about the vintage US cars still on the road in Cuba.  I'm told that they have very talented mechanics down there that go to great lengths to keep the cars running. Mucho adapting and modifying of parts from other cars to keep them on the road.

Thanks for posting this!
John

[BobbyR]

I have heard about the vintage US cars still on the road in Cuba.  I'm told that they have very talented mechanics down there that go to great lengths to keep the cars running. Mucho adapting and modifying of parts from other cars to keep them on the road.

Thanks for posting this!
John

That is the problem. A few vintage car experts got permission from the State Dept to go down there and have a look. They expected to cash in on a bonanza when Fidel passed and the US dropped the embargoes. The Cubans were so good an using whatever was at hand  most of the cars had no value since they were so heavily modified.
I often wonder what Fidel did that prevented every President since JFK from opening up to Cuba. I expected Clinton to do it, but he never  talked about it in public. Maybe it had to do with JFK? 

[mark]

I've also heard some of those stories. It would have been interesting to get a peek under the hood of some of these relics.

The Willys is a good example. I'm guessing that there is more Peugeot there than just the headlights.

You're probably right about the ghost of JFK keeping us from making nice with ol' Fidel.


Happy trails.

[old750]

Is it true that you can actually see a Lada rust if you stare at it for a minute?

[dusterdude]

yea,the whole embargo thing with cuba is freakin idiotic,we have our noses so far up chinas ass it aint funny,but we cant deal with cuba.stupid

[gregimotis]

A big part of the problem with Cuba is that there are several laws implemented at different times which all add up to the Embargo.  The president could push to drop the embargo, but it's congress that would have to schedule a series of votes and repeal all the stuff.
It's my guess that congress won't bother to do this as long as there is any possibility of negative PR.

Also this:  Castro has taken every opportunity to give the -FU- to the United States on the issue.  In '93 for instance, the republican congress limited the amount of dollars Cuban nationals could send back to there families in Cuba - Castro responded by making the US dollar illegal currency in Cuba.  It remains to be seen what Raul will do when he takes over, but he's not exactly young either (76).

Anyway, it is an inane policy, and it's been put in place in such a way that I think it would take more than a presidential order to take it apart.  Congress might have to take an actual vote and go on record with actual opinions and such (insert sarcasm).