Model A or T in Caribbean ?

McMimmcs

McMimmcs

Well-known member
I’ve just returned from a short trip to the Caribbean. I incessantly asked about antique cars on 5 islands and it seemed they were non existent. Are they non existent or are they hidden in the hills ? Thanks, Wayne
 
The salt air eats anything that is iron or steel. If there were any old cars on the islands they are now piles of rust. In our travels there I did not see any old cars. We spent several years cruising the islands in our sailboat. Hawaii is the same. In my travels there, the old steam locomotives used on the sugar cane plantations were rusted beyond any restoration. You will see Model A and early V8 hotrods in Hawaii but they are recent imports and kept in garages.
 
nkaminar said:
The salt air eats anything that is iron or steel. If there were any old cars on the islands they are now piles of rust. In our travels there I did not see any old cars. We spent several years cruising the islands in our sailboat. Hawaii is the same. In my travels there, the old steam locomotives used on the sugar cane plantations were rusted beyond any restoration. You will see Model A and early V8 hotrods in Hawaii but they are recent imports and kept in garages.
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What you say makes sense. Thank you ! Wayne
 
It is a pity because I went to Puerto Rico recently, and a lot of the roads there are extremely suitable for a Model A with its high ground clearance, narrow frame, and hill climbing performance. But yeah, the environment is brutal.
 
Just to throw in my two cents, what about all the old cars in Cuba. I understand they are mostly repowered with small Russian diesels but the bodies?
Marty
 
There have been plenty of cars in Hawaii. I parted out a T there and brought home a 39 std. I saw several cars including a 32 phaeton and a 29 phaeton on the north shore back in the 60s. Of course anything that is run on the beach is going to suffer.
 
jimTN said:
There have been plenty of cars in Hawaii. I parted out a T there and brought home a 39 std. I saw several cars including a 32 phaeton and a 29 phaeton on the north shore back in the 60s. Of course anything that is run on the beach is going to suffer.
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Cars in Cuba are absolute junk. Fenders held together with license plates, heavy rope bound to rims for tires. Wayne
 
I spent about 7 years living in the Eastern Caribbean. That time was split amongst just about all of the islands between the VI and Grenada. I never saw a single pre 1960s car. Probably only a few pre 80s cars the whole time down there.

The environment is brutal on automobiles. Taxes/regulations/shipping makes getting parts almost impossible in most countries. Fuel is very expensive too. Couple that with the fact that cars are not part of the culture in the Caribbean. My take is that the cost of ownership of a classic automobile is prohibitive for the vast majority of folks down there who even have an interest.

The people who have the means to own and maintain a classic car down there drive Range Rovers or have a Lambo at there summer home in the Mediterranean.
 
I would add that in the Greater Antilles countries like the DR, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba to a lesser extent, driving a car seen as flashy is like putting a target on your back. You are just asking to get robbed or kidnapped.
 
Cuba had no choice but to keep repairing their old iron any way they can. Make it do or do with out. Cuba has only had the capability to purchase new cars since the Obama years but even a Kia or a Chinese Geely CK would have been expensive for the average Cuban. Folks don't have a lot of money to purchase new cars no matter how low the price may be.
 
I agree rotorwrench. Cuba is a bit different than the rest of the Caribbean in that a '58 Plymouth isn't a classic there, it is just transportation that is paid for.
 
I went to Cuba in January. I saw two Model A's, but only one up close. Many cars are Frankencars, but some have original engines. Lots of ingenuity involved in keeping these things on the road.

There is an old car club in Cuba and an antique car museum in Havana that I did not get a chance to visit. I made a presentation to our club on the cars I saw there. Pretty cool, regardless of condition.
 
I lived less than a mile from Makaha beach on Oahu. I had to clean the salt mist off the windshield every morning before driving to work. 10 year old cars had large holes rusted in their bodies.
 
cas3 said:
Most in Cuba have Russian diesel engines I've heard
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I would say "many" not most. I saw a 56 Chevy with a Mercedes diesel and a 53 Ford with a Mitsubishi engine and transmission. I also saw a Caddy and a Buick with their original engines. Not sure about the Model A I saw that was broken down in the middle of the street with a problem with the rear wheel bearings or axle.
 
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