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American Classic Cars in Cuba: Less than Meets the Eye?

7/25/2014

 
Picture
Every few years or so, the mainstream media become enamored with the 1950s American cars that still ply the streets and highways of Cuba.  They speculate that once the U.S. and Cuba resume diplomatic and trade relations, Havana and environs will represent a bonanza for American classic car collectors who may want to buy one of these time capsules. 

Anyone who believes that is going to be sorely disappointed.  The hidden benefit for collectors will not be the vehicles themselves, but the craftsmen who keep them running.

During my time there in several cities and on the highways in between, I saw no cars that were rarities and many vehicles that were simply not worth restoring.  The American cars that still operate in Cuba are largely boring four-door sedans or average convertibles.  Those rides are not worth a whole lot here in the U.S., even in excellent condition.  There were no rare Olds Fiestas or Buick Skylarks to be seen. 

Many of the Cuban cars are American in body and interior only.  That '53 DeSoto sedan might easily have a chassis and drivetrain that came out of a Russian truck.  That chrome trim you see from 50 feet away might turn out to be hand-beaten tin.  I cruised in a '52 Buick Roadmaster that sounded like the trunk was filled with loose metal bolts when it hit a bump.

Finally, when the time comes for restored Cuban-American relations, I believe a lot of old car owners in Cuba will ditch their vehicles in favor of new ones.  Yes, the taxi drivers may want to keep their original rides to charm the tourists, but I think they will find it more beneficial just to import a restored 1950s sedan from the U.S.
In short, you may see more average American classics headed toward Cuba than the other way around.

The real benefit to American collectors will be the access to Cuban automotive craftsmen.  I saw examples of high-quality, resourceful metal- and paintwork on some of these old cars.  I would not be surprised to see the creation of a classic car restoration industry in Havana (similar to the one that has risen in Vietnam) that could easily satisfy collectors in the southern U.S.
at bargain prices.

In the meantime, please enjoy our Gallery of Cuban cars.  In the near future, we'll feature a virtual tour of Havana's auto museum, including vehicles that played a significant role in the Cuban revolution.


1949 Triumph 2000: A Seldom-Seen Roadster

7/21/2014

 
PictureClick to enlarge
THE CAR AND ITS OWNER
1949 Triumph 2000 Roadster owned by Earl Gandel

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING
Founded in 1885, Britain’s Triumph made its name selling bicycles, motorcycles and cars in the early part of the 20th Century.  But when World War II rolled around, the company was nearly dead.  It was revived in 1944 by auto executive Sir John Black, who wanted to make sports cars to compete against Jaguar’s new postwar models.  And, thus, the 2000 was born in 1946.  “It’s very rare,” Gandel says of his roadster, “especially in the U.S., where it was never imported.  It predated the famous Triumph TR2 and TR3, with the same basic engine.”  Triumph legend has it that the cars were made from aluminum because there was plenty of leftover stock from aircraft manufacturing at a time when sheet steel was in very short supply.  Critics cited the Roadster for its slow acceleration and after Black left the company in 1949, the 2000 was no more.  According to Hemmings, the auto enthusiast magazine, there were 4,500 Roadsters built, with the Triumph Roadster Club estimating that only 1,000 have survived.  BMW currently owns the Triumph brand and rumors have circulated that the company might be thinking about putting the name on a new sports car.

HOW LONG HE’S OWNED IT
Since 2011

WHERE HE FOUND IT
He bought it from a good friend who had owned it for the previous 11 years.  They had gone together to the UK to pick up the car in 2001.

CONDITION
“The body and interior are in almost original condition,” Gandel says.  “The engine, running gear and chassis were rebuilt and restored in 2001 by a UK Jaguar restorer.  It has a mainly aluminum body with a distinctive pre-war look, even though it was made postwar.  It is right-hand drive with a three-speed column shift and seating for three.  It has a unique ‘dickey seat’ (rumble seat) in the rear for two, with a fold-down windscreen.” 

TIPS FOR OWNERS
“Take good care of it and it will take care of you,” he advises.  “It is very reliable for a 65-year-old.  The brakes can be a puzzle.  They were among the first hydraulics, but they work fine when they’re right.”

VALUE
“I really don’t know,” Gandel says.  “Maybe $20,000 to $40,000 here?”  The NADA Guides puts a “high retail” value of $34,200 on a 1949 2000 Roadster.  A similar car sold in April 2013 for $36,720 at a Detroit auction.

THE BOTTOM LINE
“You can drive it for years and never see another, unless you go looking for it,” he says of his Triumph.  “The British club and other U.S. owners – maybe 30 – are very collegial and helpful.”


1969 Shelby GT 500: Designed for Driving.  Real Driving.

7/16/2014

 
PicturePhoto: Jeffrey Bates
THE CAR AND ITS OWNER
1969 Shelby GT 500 owned by Jeffrey Bates

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING

“You can tell that this is a car designed for driving.  Real driving,” says the sales brochure for the 1969 Shelby GT 500.  And that was no hype.  The Shelby – a heavily modified Ford Mustang fastback or convertible – was born in 1965 when legendary race car driver Carroll Shelby teamed up with Ford to produce limited-edition performance cars.  In the beginning, bare-bones Mustangs were built in the company’s California plant and then shipped to a nearby Shelby American facility, where engine, suspension and trim modifications transformed them into vehicles worthy of the track or the drag strip.  By 1969, Ford was doing the makeovers on its own and it soon ended its arrangement with Shelby.  A handful of 1970 cars were built with leftover parts. Ford would revive the model as the “GT500” in 2007 and they are still being built today. 

“Only five Shelby GT 500s were manufactured in 1969 in this ‘Grabber Orange’ paint scheme, two convertibles and three coupes,” Bates says of his car’s rarity.  “There were a total of 1,536 Shelby GT 500s produced altogether during the 1969 model year.  The car’s stated horsepower was 335, although its actual horsepower was close to 400” from the big, 428-cubic-inch V-8 engine, known as the “Ram-Air 428.”

HOW LONG HE’S OWNED IT

Since 1973


WHERE HE FOUND IT

“My parents sent me to the drug store when a woman pulled up in the car with a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window,” Bates says. “I was 16 and had just gotten my junior driver’s license and had been saving money from numerous jobs on local farms in the area.”

CONDITION
“The car is totally original with the exception of tires and mufflers,” he says. “It has several small dents and scratches, but looks good. The car has 47,000 miles on it. I have had two opposing views on the car’s condition: (a) leave it just the way it is, or (b) do a complete, ground-up restoration. I work with my father in our auto repair shop, which specializes in antique and classic U.S. and foreign cars.”

TIPS FOR OWNERS

“Keep it garaged and regularly serviced, regardless of miles driven,” Bates advises. 

VALUE

Bates estimates the value from $80,000 to more than $100,000.

THE BOTTOM LINE

“When I bought the car, I had not told my parents and my father took it away for six months as punishment,” Bates says.  “My girlfriend at the time, Patricia, who is now my wife, refused to ride in it then -- or now -- and I used a beat-up old Jeep on dates.  I take it on occasion to local car shows and it is often at our place of business.”


1930 Graham-Paige: Replicating Grandpa's Ride

7/10/2014

 
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THE CAR AND ITS OWNERS                                                 1930 Graham-Paige owned by Ray and Linda Lignowski

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING                                               The Graham brothers were involved in vehicle manufacturing through the early 20th century, yet the Graham-Paige branded cars were produced only from 1928 to 1931 after the purchase of another auto maker, the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company. "In magazine ads of the day, the Graham-Paige was often compared to the Auburn, Buick, Marmon, Chrysler and Reo, to name a few," Ray Lignowski says.  "The base six-cylinder coupe started at $845 (double the price of a nicely optioned Ford) and could run as high as $4,500 for a long-wheelbase, seven-passenger, eight-cylinder model."  Innovative standard features, he says, included laminated safety glass, Lockheed hydraulic brakes (most cars were still using cable brakes), height-adjustable foot pedals, externally adjustable oil pressure, oil level gauge and an externally adjustable timing chain.

HOW LONG THEY'VE OWNED IT                                                                                                         Since the summer of 1998

WHERE THEY FOUND IT                                                                                                                              The Lignowskis found their car in South Dakota as "nothing more than a rusty shell and chassis," he says.  "But it was the same year, make and model of the car that my grandparents had when they met and were married.  I even had some pictures of them in the car in Brooklyn in 1933."  They drove to South Dakota and brought the sedan home by trailer.

CONDITION                                                                                                                                                   "I began that October of '98 what is still a continuing restoration," Lignowski says.  "I had to get two dead motors to combine the good parts of both to make one running one."  He found a lot of the car's missing trim online or through the Graham-Paige Club.  The wood body frame was rebuilt, the car was painted and period-correct accessories were added.  "The next project," he says," is to learn how to sew and complete the interior with the correct Belgian mohair fabric."

TIPS FOR OWNERS                                                                                                                                      "If you own one," Lignowski advises, "most likely you are the only one on the block and, possibly, your town.  Tune-up parts can still be had from a good old auto parts store as the Graham-Paige motor was used for commercial applications in things like forklifts right up until the 1960s."

VALUE                                                                                                                                                           "You can buy a nice 'driver' for $5,000 to $7,000, or go as high as you want to go," he says.  "The cars are rare, but the demand just isn't what it used to be."

THE BOTTOM LINE               
"Nothing can beat the feeling of knowing when I'm behind the wheel, it is exactly the view and feeling my grandfather had 79 years ago, motoring around Brooklyn in his Graham," Lignowski says.  The couple can often be seen driving around Long Island, New York on a Sunday with their twins, Samantha and Tyler.  "It's as close as we can get now to the good ol' days."


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    Author

    David Fluhrer has been the classic car columnist for Newsday since 2008, and a new car reviewer for Newsday's auto section since 2018. 

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