El Almendrón

The American relics of the fifties that circulate in #Cuba have become icons in constant revaluation and are still a big part of the life of #Cubans. 

In Cuba they call almendrón to any American car of the fifties that, sometimes thanks to magical restorations, still run the streets of #Havana. They are true rolling pieces of museum.

One of the consequences that brought the embargo to the island decreed in 1962 by the US government was the absolute impossibility of acquiring spare parts for the Ford, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Plymouth, Dodge, Packard, Buick, Cadillac and other American brands established in Cuba.

The owners of these cars were forced to use their imagination and local resources to keep them operational: from Soviet tractor engines to refrigerator coolers through the most unlikely Soviet cars engines like Volga.

Cubans, with their usual ingenuity, soon named these vintage vehicles: almendrones. A literal translation would be “big almond”. It is difficult to know the origin of this strange denomination. According to some Cuban journalists it is due to the almond shape that the cars of the 50s had, with rounded corners and front and back oval shape. According to others, due to the changes in material and color that these rickety machines suffer over time.

Obviously, safety and comfort are the least expected when getting into one of these Cuban cars, but, in a country with a poor road network and primary public transport, they still fulfill a vital function of transport to an affordable price, even for the low Cuban salaries.

There is no official data on how many almendrones are left in Cuba. The island's authorities say that about 10,000 of these strange vehicles circulate around Havana and Santiago (the two most important cities), although the total number is probably around 75,000 throughout the country.

A walk along the famous seaside walkway El Malecon (virtually taken by almendrones of all types, sizes and conditions) is enough to realize the evolution of the concept: ingenious antiques have not disappeared, but professional restorations for taxi services are increasingly frequent for tourists.

In here #Tourer plays an important role offering taxis in classic cars (almendrones) with hard tops and amazing tours on convertibles that will take you through towns in Havana in a combination of stops at places for photo shootings or drive by to really enjoy the incredible views it can offer. Visit us at www.tourer.us