Pre-1990 Soviet era cars and trucks are still on the road in Cuba today. Most of these vehicles were part of Soviet subsidies to Cuba over the decades, some were traded for sugar and other commodities, and today an constitute about a quarter of all privately owned cars on the island.
Known locally as ladrillos,bricks, they are much prized possessions by their owners and those that prefer them to pre-1960 American cars. Parts are still being imported from Russia for these cars, where as parts for American classics are nonexistent. A 1985 Lada in good condition is selling for approximately fifteen-thousand dollars in Havana.
I have a 1949 and 1954 Chevrolet in Havana, both with their original engine, and believe they are far superior in every way to the Russian cars. When you take your trip to Cuba and see them side by side you decide which is the best.
By Frank Gonzalez
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