Cubans driving classic cars eye possibility of new rides

HAVANA — Cuba’s classic cars are the pride of the nation — and a huge pain in the neck for their owners.

Throughout Havana, gas-guzzling, steel “Yank tanks” from the 1950s and early 1960s still run — though many Cubans said Friday they wouldn’t complain if new American cars returned to the market after a 54-year hiatus.

Xiomara Valdez’s rickety red ride from 1960 sat on a jack near the center of Havana while a mechanic replaced the brakes. Yet again.

“I don’t like it because I always have to fix it!” said Valdez, 45. “The Studebaker is very, very bad … It’s always a problem.”

Indeed, she said it’s been problem that’s been passed down in her family for more than five decades.

Nearby, Francisco Medina, 46, proudly declared that his 4-year-old son, Franki de Jesus, will one day inherit his blue 1952 Ford Sedan. The gift will unfortunately come with seemingly weekly repairs.

“It’s a lot of work to maintain a car like this. We have to repair everything,” he said.

Medina added that with the return of ties between the U.S. and Cuba, his son might be able to one day buy a more modern ride, which he could then pass on to his kids.

“God willing, one day (Franki will) be able to give a 2010 Chevrolet to his son!” said Medina, who works in a fruit and vegetable market.

The retro rides are the result of the U.S. embargo imposed in 1962. Once in effect, American auto parts were nowhere to be found, meaning Cubans had to rely on ingenuity to fabricate replacements, or figure out fixes using parts culled from Japanese and Russian cars.

Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News Francisco Medina, 46, proudly declared that his 4-year-old son, Franki de Jesus, will one day inherit his blue 1952 Ford Sedan. The gift will unfortunately come with seemingly weekly repairs.

In January, Cuban President Raul Castro relaxed rules on the purchase of new cars, which had previously been restricted to the communist country’s elite. But the anachronistic Pontiacs, Chevrolets and others still dominate the roads.

For a fortunate few, their old cars have been kept in immaculate condition, turning them into mobile tourist traps.

Marcel Rioperez’s pink 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe glistened in the sun alongside a 1957 Ford Fairlane and 1957 Chevrolet Standard near Havana’s Central Park.

Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News Marcel Rioperez’s pink 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe glistened in the sun alongside a 1957 Ford Fairlane and 1957 Chevrolet Standard near Havana’s Central Park.

Rioperez’s car has all of its original parts, including classic headlights, a leather interior, vintage steering wheel and stylish streamlines along the side. Its just-off-the-assembly-line appearance was thanks to his grandfather’s decision to keep it in a garage from the year he bought it.

Six years ago, Rioperez decided to charge around $30 an hour for a tour of the city.

“This is a museum!” he said, making his best sales pitch. “You weren’t even born when this car was bought!”

sbrown@nydailynews.com

Cubans driving classic cars eye possibility of new rides