Cuba's classic cars are valued as national history

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"This is the best job I can get in Cuba," said 34-year-old Maykel Reynaldo as he took CGTN for a spin around Havana's central park in a 1952 pink Chevrolet.

Reynaldo felt tired of the long, late hours working at a bar and said the money is better driving tourists in these classic old American cars. "It's not midday yet and I’ve already had three rides." The car is not his – he takes a percentage of the money made from showing visitors around this historical city. These cars still generate interest, and income in Cuba.

"This is the best job I can get in Cuba," says Maykel Reynaldo. /CGTN Photo

The American cars from the 1950s are an iconic Cuban image and can be seen on the roads of this island in varying conditions. Many old Chevrolets and Fords that have not been restored to their former glory fill the void of poor transport links and are communal taxis that locals squeeze into to get around the city.

Others, like Julia Medina’s car, are prized collectors' items. Medina found a 1959 Austin Healey abandoned on the outskirts of Havana in 2013. The three mechanics then spent two years restoring it. "We found it in very poor condition," said Medina at a recent collectors' show in Havana.

The condition of the Healey when Julia Medina found it in 2013. /CGTN Photo

"But we cleaned and restored it all here in Cuba, with the exception of the electrical system which was sent by the Healey club in England." But she added that tourists love the old cars. "People who come here really value that these cars are still on the road."

An old car restored to its former glory /CGTN Photo

The old English sports car with the right-hand drive is a rarity in this region. But just as with all such cars in Cuba, the challenge comes not only from their age – some are more than half a century old – but from how to maintain these vehicles.

Writer and historian Marcelo Gorajuria said there are still around 70,000 of these old cars in Cuba and they are patrimony of the country. He also said they are a tribute to the mechanics and painters who defy the economic conditions of this country to find ways to fix the cars.

An old Cheverolet in Cuba/CGTN Photo

As Cuba changes, more modern cars are imported, but Maykel, in the pink Chevrolet, believes they will always be part of the urban landscape, "Without these cars, Cuba is nothing. This is the history of Cuba."

This year, Cuba expects five million tourists flock to the island, and many want to experience a ride in these old cars.