1954 Austin A40 Somerset

"Study the lines and luxury, the fittings and refinements of this brilliant Austin A40 Somerset! You'll realise that there is a car that gives you more in motoring pleasure and pride of ownership. And, when you admire its appointments, remember that luxury equipment is standard equipment in the Somerset — you pay nothing extra for it. On the road — the Austin Somerset is a beautiful car to drive . . . feather-light to handle, reliable and restful, speedy but safe . . . with ample space for five and luggage."

Next to all the big American automobiles in Cuba, this one from England looks quite cartoonish. Mind you, the tiny Austin A40 was considered a proper mid-size car in postwar Europe. Introduced in 1952, it was a mutton dressed as a lamb, as it was essentially a re-bodied A40 Devon, using the same mechanicals as its postwar predecessor.

With its dated 1,200cc (73 cubic-inch) engine with 52hp, the A40 Somerset wouldn't win (m)any races. When fully loaded, it was clearly underpowered, and overall a lumbering drive. Thus, the owner of our pictured Austin, a retired railway mechanic of Ferrocarriles de Cuba, "upgraded" to a more modern Lada drivetrain years ago. "I had to modify the firewall, as the Lada gearbox wouldn't fit in the place of Austin's original 4-speed caja. But the Lada engine was a revelation. Since then, my Austin became much more lively."

After just two years in production, the tiny A40 Somerset got replaced by the Austin Cambridge. Reportedly, nobody mourned the loss.

1959 Opel Olympia Rekord CarAVan

"Some compacts give you economy, some give you quality. Opel gives you both! Opel's careful  workmanship stems from a policy of selling as many cars as it can build with precision — not building as many cars as it can sell. You'll notice the difference right away in the fit of the doors and richness of the upholstery."

Judging by the amount of examples still on the road today, the compact Opel Olympia Rekord sold pretty well in Cuba. Much less common is its utilitarian sibling, pictured here. One year after introducing the all-new Olympia Rekord P, Opel expanded its lineup in 1958. Joining the party was not just a new four-door sedan, but also the CarAVan, the name, in Opel's view, nicely combining Car A(nd) Van. This station wagon became simultaneously available as a downmarket version, christened solely Opel Olympia. Our pictured CarAVan from 1959, however ain't this frugal version. Authentic brightwork and original roof-rack distinguish the well-equipped export version. Incidentally, all Opel Olympia Rekord sedans sold in the U.S. had "Rekord" written on their front fenders, while the station wagons showed "Olympia" badges.

As Opel was a part of the GM organization, the styling was closely coordinated with Detroit and thus looked very american. Two doors, panoramic windshield and rearward slanted B-pillars mimic the iconic elegance of a Chevy Nomad, albeit proportionally, the Olympia clearly can't keep up with its fullsize inspiration. Anyway, in postwar Europe, Opel's "American Way of Drive" went down very well with the customers, making the Olympia Record a best seller for years.

1956 Dodge Kingsway Deluxe Suburban

"These big new roomy Dodge Station Wagons are so colorful and bold, you'll feel like a swashbuckler behind the wheel. And their lively performance will make you invent every excuse to pick up and break-away  . . .  especially with the stepped-up surge of the Super-Powered Super Red Ram V-8 engine at your command. Step in, press a button and take off with the Magic Touch of tomorrow!"

After years of rather stodgy styling, Dodge introduced the stunning all-new "Forward Look" lineup in 1955. 1956 saw minor modifications but anyway, there wasn't much need for change, as the basic proportions of these cars were just spot-on. Now, even the more modest models had become fast and elegant driving machines. Case in point: our pictured Dodge station wagon.

At a glance, it looks like an ordinary Dodge Custom Sierra station wagon. Look closer, and you'll discover Plymouth tailfins aft. The reason: it's a Canada-built export model, which were generally based on the cheaper Plymouth body, "adorned" with Dodge or DeSoto front clips to add some glamour and reason to command higher prices. Accordingly, the Dodge Kingsway Deluxe Suburban was essentially a dressed up Plymouth Savoy Suburban.

In the US, station wagons became quite popular in the 1950s, when the demographic change triggered a massive movement out of the cities into the emerging suburbs. This lifestyle required mobility and was one major reason for the tremendous increase of new car sales in that time. While earlier station wagons typically had been rather utilitarian vehicles, customers now discovered the advantages of space and flexibility but, of course, without sacrificing the comfort they were used to enjoy in their sedans. The manufacturers reacted and began offering lavishly equipped and stylish station wagons, too. Yet, Cuba's motorists were obviously a much more conservative clientele. Here, the station wagon never ceased to be a niche product. However, the few who ordered a wagon certainly were profiting from the new focus on style and comfort in their cars, too.