(30 Aug 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Havana, Cuba – 30 August 2025
1. Various of vintage cars driving past the Capitol building in Havana
2. Various of car from the 1930s parking for inspection
3. Car with Cuban flag
4. Vintage cars from different eras parked for inspection of competition
5. Sticker in a car “Classics of Cuba for the 2025 competition”
6. Car owners and judges gathered
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Daniel García, Director of the Cuban Car Museum:
“This competition brings together classic car owners who love their cars and restoration, competing in a friendly way for the best, most restored, and most original car.”
8. Cars lined up
9. Judges looking at a car
10. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Leonardo Prieto Arias, taxi driver:
“It is very difficult because of spare parts and all the maintenance that we have to give them, but we are always taking care of it. It needs daily attention.”
11. Prieto Arias getting out of his car
12. Various of judges inspecting cars
13. Couple in a classic convertible waving
STORYLINE:
The Classic and Antique Cars Rally is a highly anticipated annual event in Havana where owners parade their vintage American cars through the streets of the Cuban capital.
Experts also inspect the cars, assessing the authenticity of their parts and the overall state of maintenance.
Cubans have become remarkably skilled at restoring and maintaining these vehicles, often sourcing parts through informal channels, called “mules,” or fabricating them by hand.
The six-decade-long embargo on most U.S. exports has turned Cuban mechanics into some of the world’s most inventive technicians—capable of engineering feats that have largely disappeared in today’s era of electronic ignitions and computerized engine calibration.
Leonardo Arias Prieto drives tourists around in his flashy 1959 red Cadillac. “We are always taking care of the cars. They need daily attention,” said Prieto on Saturday.
Necessity drives invention when it comes to maintaining the thousands of classic cars that populate Cuba’s cities and countryside.
Many are used for everyday commutes, while others ferry tourists eager for a taste of nostalgia, newlyweds, or young girls celebrating their quinceañeras—the traditional 15th-birthday celebration.
AP Video shot by Ariel Fernández
===========================================================
Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/4f17a0850e7343c3b0c22c6e996689d0
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in September 4, 2025, 9:05 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
