It is said that the city of Havana is a rolling museum, because every day in its streets you can appreciate the beauty of many classic cars, which serve as cabs for those who can afford it.
These drivers work on specific roads, but there are also those who offer their services through mobile apps and if you need to be picked up at the door of your house and taken to a particular place, this is also possible. Of course, it will be even more expensive.
Most Cubans can, however, take a ride, let's put it this way, in these relics.
But, on the occasion of the 501st anniversary of the Villa San Cristobal de La Habana, the city proudly saw the reopening of its great Automobile Museum. So certainly our capital is a rolling museum but we have also The Garage.
So we can enjoy very close to cars with a lot of history, and also learn at first hand how these jewels came to Cuba.
With these photos I wanted to participate in the #Monomad Challenge and I hope you like this work. I approached them with a certain solemnity and tried to show the place through some details.
The Museum has photo exhibits and other infographics. I particularly love looking at these old photos, in which you can appreciate so many details, and even, if you are creative, you can make your own stories. 😅
We have many curious things, displayed in an original way. This Maseratti -for example- is very similar to the one Juan Manuel Fangio used for the 1957 Havana Grand Prix.
Also on exhibition is a 1933 Packard car like the one driven by Al Capone here in Cuba.
And so we have on exposition there the cars driven by historical personalities of Cuban politics and culture.
Look at this relic coming up next.
This vehicle participated with No. 40 in the First Classic Car Tour "Havana-Varadero-Havana" in February 1997. Its former owner was Mr. Dionisio Milián Cantero, a member of one of the wealthiest families in the Vedado neighborhood in the 1930s.
The exhibition provides details of each car in a technical data sheet containing: Model, Country, Body Type, Engine, Fuel, Piston Diameter, Piston Stroke, Displacement, Maximum Power, Wheels, Transmission, as well as a little history, explaining to whom it belonged, or how it arrived in Cuba, or if it was in any important event.
You already know that I am a photojournalist and sometimes I attend important events. Well, I was able to photograph this one, occupied by Pope Francisco in 2015.
This brand of truck is famous for its history in the United States and this particular one was used on a farm (La Caoba) in Jagüey Grande. Matanzas. Its owner was a wealthy landowner in that area. It dates from the year that this brand came into existence, I think 1917 or 1918.
I also wanted to take some pictures of the motorcycle collection we have there.
😋
For some time now I have been thinking about contacting the members of the Harley Davidson Club here in Cuba to do some photographic work with them. Looking at these images I remembered this project that I had been putting off... 🙄
Soon I will be visiting the City of Santiago de Cuba, located in the east of the country, about 870 kilometers from Havana. Who knows if between work issues I can make time to get to the automobile museum in that city and bring you some snapshots.
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