TG57Roadmaster

So true Bob, After a while, you recognize certain cars; I saw this '50 Buick all over the place, even in a painting at the Almacenes San Jose Artisan's Market. In August 2016, this '50 Buick Super was all over Habana Vieja, usually loaded with tourists. By December, it was sporting optional bumper guards / over-riders. The '50 Buick Super's painting at the Almacenes San Jose Artisan's Market in August, along with some other colorful carros.

Some of the cars seen in Havana and its environs, all but the last in Habana Vieja. It's estimated that there are 70-80,000 vintage vehicles on the island, U.S. and foreign makes, many with modern engines and modified drivetrains, so I left my AACA Judging cap at home and just enjoyed the 24-hour moving car show. (Think the head-spinning Linda Blair in, "The Exorcist," minus the green stuff). Though few of the cars are in pristine condition, some owners with relatives in the States or Latin American countries have original parts sent to them. A number of them had correct wheels and Coker Classic or OEM tires, but they are the exception. There's an aspirational aspect, a hierarchy, and owners of pedicabs want to move up to a beater sedan, who in turn want a better sedan or coupe, with a '50's convertible at the top of the heap and where the most tourist money can be made. This '57 Ford Fairlane 500 Town Sedan is the pride and joy of its elderly owner, and may have been passed down in his family. El Castillo del Morro and the Fuente de Neptuno loom in the background of this 1951 Chevy and vintage Land Rover, near the Plaza de Armas on the Avenida del Puerto. El Tunel de la Habana is a great place for car spotting. The Palacio Velasco-Sarra behind this diesel-spewing 56 Chevy is now the home of the Spanish Embassy, and was once the private residence of members of the Sarra Pharmacy family. A friend in Quebec, Gilbert Bureau, winters in la Habana. When he saw this photo, he exclaimed, "That's my electrician!" His man in Havana is enjoying lunch next to an early-1950's Peugeot 203. This 1959 Chevy Impala Sport Sedan stands vigil at this mercado on Calle San Lazaro, one block off the Malecon. A 1958 Thunderbird glides past the Centro Asturiano, one of the many clubs built when Cuba was flush with sugar and mineral money, now the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de la Habana. Like the Centro Gallego and many others, the lavish, palatial clubs were built by groups of descendants from regions of Spain.Gallego from Galicia, Asturiano from Asturias, and so on. Exiting the Tunel de la Habana, this 1955 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire Convertible was the most-correct car I saw. The rear bumper's wavy, but its interior, tires, wheel covers, and great bodywork and paint set it apart from most others. You can rent a car at the entrance to "La Rampa," at the beginning of Calle 23 and the Malecon, just across from the legendary Hotel Nacional. This circa-1959 Opel Rekord fits right in at this streamlined gas station. A late-'50's MGA with aftermarket wheels and VW taillights zooms along the Malecon, heading towards Habana Vieja. The newly-restored Centro Gallego now houses the Gran Teatro Nacional...1950's convertibles await the tourist trade at Parque Central, and the massive Capitolio is off to the left. The '55 Eldorado was a pleasant surprise. A quick tropical rainstorm transformed the streets, making this '53 Chevy Bel Air glisten. The '53 Chevy is the most popular car in Cuba, and sedans far outnumber coupes, convertibles and other body styles. This sweet '49 Chevy was posed near the Almacenes San Jose Artisan's Market, where the cruise ships berth and tourists are separated from their souvenir money.. My friend Rey Sanler owns this '50 Buick Super Sedanet and the '56 BelAir Sedan. He's a Cuban a cappella singer who tours the world with the group, "Vocal Sampling," headlining music festivals. The Buick's engine is awaiting installation when money allows, and he has much work ahead of him on both projects. The San Jose section teems with convertibles like this '55 Buick Special, waiting to pick up foreigners for Havana tours that cost about $25-$30 for two hours. The lower roadway along the San Jose section provided a bird's-eye view of this 1958 Edsel Corsair, originally a two-door hardtop. Coupes and even sedans are chopped into convertibles for the tourist trade, and it's a challenge to spot the real ragtops. A missed P12 bus stop at the Biblioteca Jose Marti led to the end of line and the quaint town of Santiago de Vegas. South of the airport and part of suburban Havana, its low casas and sunlit streets were as close as I got to rural Cuba. Street repairs are common, as this '53 Cadillac shows.

And a very biased glimpse it is. What does Newsweek have against the American Bar Association? Or any other group that travels there? I didn't see any queues at gas stations, and yes, many offices don't have AC, but they have fans powered by actual electricity, just like we used to have. Why compare Cuba with our standard of living when it should be compared with other Latin American countries? As for politics, I'm not doing a book on oppressive regimes, but about the cars of Cuba. Should Tom Cotter and Bill Warner not have written their excellent book, Cuba's Car Culture? You don't have to buy their book or mine, but my conversations were with working-class Cubans, over coffee in their dining rooms where Big Brother was not listening. It wasn't gleaned from articles in magazines Many people travel there for many reasons, all of them legal before President Obama opened the door a bit wider. These are the OFAC categories and restrictions for travel to Cuba..."Entry Requirements." https://cu.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/traveling-to-cuba/

My experience could not be more different, and I travelled there not on an expensive, structured, regimented tour but on my own, legally as a researcher for an upcoming book project. I didn't have to suffer learning the salsa, visiting an escuela or a clinica, or touring a cigar factory. The people I met who are making money are keeping most of it, but they can't take it with them should they want to leave. There is a guarded optimism about their and their children's futures, and a mercantilism that simply isn't covered by American Media. There are also 5-star hotels, modern cars, fine restaurants and all the trappings of world-class resorts that we never hear about, but the rest of the Planet has been visiting since our Embargo. Is it all roses and buttercups, no, but it's not what we've been led to believe, either. TG

I've travelled to Havana twice since last August for research on a book about the cars of Cuba. On the first trip, I went alone having studied the place for two years now, and stayed in a casa particular, in a room in someone's home. My seat-mate on the plane is an a capella singer whose group travels the globe headlining at music festivals, and is a car guy with a '50 Buick Super Sedanet and a '56 Chevy Bel Air sedan, both project cars. We became immediate friends and he took me around on his scooter to places I wouldn't have normally seen, I had recommendations on where to stay by a Quebecois car guy who winters there, so it wasn't like going there blindly. I didn't want or need the structure of a tour, as I was going under OFAC regulations as a researcher, and a tour would have been hindering. At the casa each night (this was in August), the family I stayed with searched their car-for-sale websites for a car to buy; and by my December trip they had purchased a $40K newer SEAT sedan, although the husband really wanted a '50's model to take tourists around in. The people who rent their homes (or rooms) or drive tourists make decent money, more than we are led to believe. They can use their SEAT to take and deliver guests to the airport, so it was a business decision, as much as a status symbol. Some tips before you go... Get euros from your bank before you go, as you will be charged for converting dollars into CUC's, plus a 10% penalty. That quickly adds up, so if you fail to go the bank euro route, at least change your dollars to euros (or Canadian $$$) at the airport before your arrival. In their two-tiered monetary system, you will have little or no need for the CUP, as tourists almost universally use the CUC. There are plenty of articles out there if this if it you need clarification and, as others have noted, the $ = CUC, give or take a nickel. The coinage is decimal system, easy to use, and spare change is handy for tips. Plan on budgeting $100 a day, whether you spend it or not, less if you're on an inclusive tour. Meals, drinks, taxis, tips and souvenirs add up quickly. Budget extra if you plan on bringing home some of their fine tourist (car-related) artwork, the better of which is oil on canvas. Plan on negotiating a little bit for the art, and larger pieces require a tax stamp (5 CUC) to leave the country. This can be done at the airport or at the huge San Jose Almacenes Artisan's Market. If you plan to travel on buses or trains, or anywhere you need a public restroom, stash some TP in a baggie rather than relying on the restroom attendants. It's not that they don't have TP in Cuba, but it's in short supply and it's best to be prepared. Bring a small travel first aid kit, as the few farmacias you will see won't have topical antibiotics and band-aids are hard to come by. Gifts are great and much appreciated; I brought extra toothbrushes and small tubes of toothpaste, my two friends on the December trip brought mid-size and mini Maglites from Home Depot. On my trip in February, I'm going to bring some '50's 1/64th scale models for Carlos, my cab driver's 4-year-old son. I was Carlos's first Americano fare, as they shun his little Daewoo Tico sedan for flashier vintage iron, but he has become a friend now, and discounts nearly every fare. Most taxi drivers speak basic English, so if you find one you like, get their card and use them often. They all have cell phones, as do the owners of your hotel or casa, and make sure you get the business card of your accommodations, too. If you have an international plan on your phone, it should work in Havana and other larger towns, and this can be verified by your service provider. Take it out of Airplane Mode (but don't enable Wi-Fi) and Cubacel should pop up as available. I didn't do much texting, but it's handy to have to call fellow travellers, your hotel or casa, and just in case of an emergency (U.S. Embassy, (+53) 7839 4100. if calling within Cuba, leave off the (+53)). I didn't notice any real changes in billing, so it was a comfort to not have to hunt coins and find a working pay phone. Besides, their pay phones are very confusing! Internet is only available at Wi-Fi hotspots, and hourly-rate cards can be purchased at the better hotels. Find one, like the Hotel Ambos Mundos, go to the rooftop bar, have a cerveza or mojito, and enable Wi-Fi if you're using a phone. Be mindful that an hour of usage goes very quickly, and don't forget to logout from the card and disable Wi-Fi when your session concludes. It's actually refreshing to be without constant Web access, and harks back to simpler times. Most importantly, get a good guide book well before your departure and study it. I bought several for comparison and like the DK Eyewitness Travel: Cuba best for its visuals and info. Remember that with Google Translate, there is virtually no language barrier, and searching for places in the native tongue yields far better results. If you're looking for good maps, search mapas; rather than peck around for Christopher Columbus, look for Cristóbal Colón. Translate also helps when you find an informative site in an unfamiliar language. One right click on, "Translate this page to English," and you're in like Flynn. My experience is generally that the Cuban people love Americanos, will quickly relate those feelings, and that they appreciate the recent opening of relations. Any travel requires one to be on guard, but I have never felt safer travelling anywhere, day or night, than in Havana. TG

Interesting local story about the Standard Trailer Company and the "mobile homes" they built... http://www.meadvilletribune.com/opinion/heard-and-seen-from-novelties-to-early-mobile-homes-a/article_fa3dc534-60df-11e6-912e-431d6ff9054b.html That's a very cool trailer you have there. TG

The minimalistic approach to the, "Wrapped Roadmistress," (2001), is emboldened by the majestic drama of the applied Tangerine Sweepspear. Meant to illuminate and remind the viewer of the eternal human struggle, its vivid red signifies the blood spilled in the name of corporate ruthlessness, exemplified by the complementary, mint-condition Texaco roundel, circa 1955. An ephemeral work created by the artists Bowman and Gibson (both are graduates with a BS from the Wauwatosa Conservatory of Fine Art), the installation's transparent upper section provides the viewer with a glimpse of the raw sexual energy of the '57 Buick Roadmaster Riviera Sedan, without revealing the lower body's ultimate curvaceousness. Limited-edition, life-size prints of the work are available at your local Banana Republic, upon sealed-bid application. TG

An acquaintance in Australia bought this Saffron Yellow / Tuxedo Black Monterey from Daniel Schmitt & Co., and wonders if anyone knows who restored it. Apparently Schmitt didn't know, and the new owner would like to get in touch the shop, if possible. It's a long-shot request, worth a try. Thanks, and Happy Motoring, TG

If one of the pre-screened renters is Vin Diesel...no.

These two '60 Buick Guide-Matic should answer all your questions, though the Tech Document doesn't show the correct Eye base. I found them on the 1960 Buick Universe Facebook page. TG 60 Buick Guidematic Technical Document.pdf 60 Buick Guidematic Twilight Sentinel.pdf

The B-60 Buick Guide-Matic has a unique Autronic Eye base contoured to the speedometer cowl. This is where the Eye goes on the '60 Buick. It looks like for aesthetics, they centered it on the clock. TG

Other than being RHD and located in NZ, this is just a '70 Rebel SST hardtop coupe, of which 49,970 were produced. It's rare for its location and RHD, but the Rebel was one of AMC's best-sellers in 1970. The RHD postal fleet cars were sedans, so it's cool to see a 2drht survivor from NZ. TG

Why wait!

You beat me to it, Bernie! TG

It's always a pleasure to see any '61 Dodge at a show, and this Polara sedan was spied at the Fall 2016 Charlotte AutoFair last September. Owned by an acquaintance of Polara61, the young Forward Look enthusiast plans on making the mostly-original sedan even more correct.

Several years ago at Hershey I bought this press photo of a show car done for the 1961 circuit. Thinking ever since that naturally, it was a Polara, turns out it was a Phoenix. The experts at the Forward Look Forum even provided me a color image on a show stand, location unknown. I like '60 Polaras better but the '61 is so funky, I have to admire it. TG

Drove Miss Louise , the '60 Buick Invicta for a friend's daughter's wedding. Turned out they changed their mind about the drive-away, stayed at the reception, so I got a great meal with good friends, enjoyed the reception, and had an extra drink. Miss Louise at the AACA New Bern Meet in July, 700-mile round trip drive. TG

Dibs! I just contacted the widow to buy his prime Chocolate field spaces.

It sure looks like that "Fast Four" Dodge. I'll have them find a Motor Number on it. Thanks for such quick results! TG

Thanks! He's watching this thread, so we'll look into it. TG

A friend in Norway needs to know what engine this is, which is now in a 1928-30 International truck. Any ideas? Thanks, TG

Frantz, I'm not aware that anything remains of the AMC complex in Kenosha. It's the blank rectangular void on the Lake in this image, but they are building residences there now. Follow Linc400's advice about the History Center, it's the only thing i saw the last time I was in K-Town (went to high school in Kenosha). The streetcar is one of the old types from the end of that era, and should be fun. I believe the AMC headquarters you're talking about is the one on Plymouth Road in Detroit. There are a handful of pictures of Kenosha here, but many have lapsed...it's where these two photos came from, but not much help otherwise. http://www.bradford78.com/class_custom2.cfm For a memorable meal, go to the legendary Brat Stop (that's Brat as in Bratwurst). http://www.bratstop.com/aboutus.asp Enjoy, TG

Matt, Thanks for giving me back my identity! I'll buy you an adult beverage at the J.C. Taylor hospitality suite next year at Philly. TG

The last couple of times I've tried to log in as TG57Roadmaster, I've been frozen and asked to retry in 15 minute. I did this tonight, requested a password reset, and was logged in but as Roadmistress57, an ancient username I haven't used in years. None of my content is under Roadmistress57 (the nickname of my Buick, BTW), so what happened to TG57Roadmaster? Can we lose Roadmistress57 and be done with it? Thanks, TG