1959 Jaguar 3.4 Litre Sedan

"Grace  . . .  Space  . . .  Pace — a special kind of motoring which no other car in the world can offer."

Jaguar's advertisers truly nailed it with that slogan! When presented to the public in 1955, the Jaguar Saloon —as the Brits used to call their Sedans— was no less than sensational. The recipe to put sports car performance in a rather compact sedan was tried before and after, but was never achieved in such a convincing way. The Americans sure were used to power, but definitely not to such a good handling of their cars. "Sports Car Illustrated" stated in April 1958: "The 3.4 sedan sums up luxury touring in a high-speed car that defies comparison. It certainly has no American counterpart."

With the 3.4 Litre Jaguar, introduced in 1957, Jaguar addressed the requests of its American dealers who asked for additional power in the successful 2.4 Litre Saloon. Its 210hp six cylinder engine was taken from the XK series —in 1949 the fasted sports car worldwide— and now delivered power in abundance. For 1950s standards, this wasn't just a fast car, reaching a top speed of 193 km/h (120 mph) easily, but it was a safe car, too, because it had novel disc-brakes as standard equipment, a co-invention of Jaguar and Dunlop, and to be found in almost every car today. Outside there were subtle updates to the Jaguar 2.4 Litre: a slightly wider front grille ensured better engine cooling and partially cut out wheel covers at rear meant better access to the wheels and a sportier look.

Our pictured car from Havana is one of the 17,404 Jaguar 3.4 Litre that were built until 1959. According to its owner, it still has its original engine implanted, which means more than an adequately quick transportation even today. When this car was built in 1959, its successor was already waiting in the starting blocks: the similar looking, but massively improved Jaguar Mark 2 should seamlessly continue Jaguar's successful take on the concept of the sports sedan.

1931 Ford Model A DeLuxe Phaeton

"When you buy the Ford, you buy enduring beauty. As you drive it from the showrooms for the first time you will have a feeling of pride in the glistening sheen of its body finish and the bright silvery luster of its exposed metal parts. With reasonable care you can maintain that good appearance for a long period. Months of constant service will put many of thousands of miles on the speedometer, yet you will not think of it as an old car, nor will your friends. And when the time comes to trade it in, you will find that the lasting beauty of its finish is a factor in re-sale value."

Could it get much better? There are some exceptional cars around in Cuba, yet this one outshines them all. We doubt that you'll find a better looking car of this vintage anywhere on the island. It's definitely not easy to keep a car in such an impeccable condition in Cuba, but a tech-savvy owner, enough financial backup and relatives in Miami sure help to accomplish the job. 

And the Ford's owner sure knows its business: a look under the bonnet reveals concourse quality even on engine and mechanicals. "You'll find spare parts of Ford's Model A aplenty in Cuba, but most are terribly worn out. Thus, it's better to get them sent from relatives in Miami. Bueno, such a Ford is easy to maintain anyway. To me, there is much beauty in its simple construction."

An utmost simple and durable construction had been the strong selling point of the legendary Ford Model T, built for almost two decades between 1908 and 1927. Henry Ford certainly would have kept on producing the "Tin Lizzie" to infinity, but the competition began to outrun Ford with stronger engines and technical features in the 1920s. On top of that, arch-rival Chevrolet came up with very stylish looking new models in the latter 1920s. Their design was developed under the lead of newly contracted west-coast boy Harley Earl, and soon the mechanically superior Fords would have a hard stand against the aesthetically greater Chevrolets. Ford needed to react, and came up with the Model A in late 1927. In many respects, the new car was a big improvement over the previous Model T, but most notably, it finally was a stylish Ford — for Ford conditions.

Henry Ford's son Edsel was largely responsible for the looks of the new Ford. While his father had a general disdain for styling, Edsel had developed a fine sense for aesthetics and took great interest in car styling, as later Fords and Mercury models would manifest. In characteristic high-handed manner, however, Henry Ford took all credits for the design of the new Fords as soon as he realized how successful they were ...

1959 Buick modificado

"Have a hauling job  . . .  like a car full of kids to the beach or a ketch to slip? Or how about a date at the club in full formal attire? Call on the LeSabre Estate Wagon  . . .  it belongs everywhere and takes you there in grand new style."

Although this catalog quote belongs to a slicker looking Buick station wagon, we think it fits perfectly to our pictured car, too. It almost looks like a hearse, but instead of hauling corpses, this Buick is a Taxi, built to transport as many passengers as possible on every trip. The Cuban craftsmen took a 1959 Buick as the donor car for their conversion and replaced everything atop its beltline. Even the panoramic windshield had to go. It sure ain't the most beautiful work of art, but it does the job: the roomy cabin means increased passenger capacity and thus more income for the Buick's owner.

Conversions of old Detroit Iron are common in Cuba. „Caristas“ have collected quite a few nice examples. Yet, recently we've seen "fresh" rebuilds pretty frequently. It's too early, though, to call it a revolving trend. And while it's sad to see proud automobiles so botched up, the real life conditions in Cuba don't permit any regret: here the car is an essential tool to make a living, no matter how bad it looks.

1977-1979 VW Sedan

"Fusca. As boas idéias são simples."

"Good ideas are simple" – this slogan certainly applies to any of the few automobiles that once, for various reasons, were produced in high numbers and became ubiquitous around the world. Among them, the Ford Model T, the Jeep and, of course, the Volkswagen Beetle.

The Beetle is the brainchild of Ferdinand Porsche, who was famous for challenging conventional design solutions throughout his career. An air cooled four-cylinder boxer engine, placed in the rear of the car? Torsion bars instead of a conventional suspension? An "aerodynamic" body on a car that could not even reach 100km/h (62 miles per hour)? A whole city founded and erected just for the production of a new automobile? In the 1930s, when the design of the Beetle was penned, this was absolute automotive extravaganza.

In part, the Beetle's unconventional layout was necessary because Porsche needed to achieve tough targets, set by its „financier", the German Nazi-regime. Their planned "KdF-Wagen" should become an affordable vehicle for the mass-motorization of Germany. Promoted by the "Kraft durch Freude“ ("strength though joy“) leisure organization, it was incidentally a clever way to collect more than 268 million Reichsmark from Germany's middle class: each week, the citizens should save 5 Reichsmark and buy stamps to collect in a savings book. When the book was filled with stamps worth 990 Reichsmark, they should exchange it for a brand new "KdF-Wagen". But World War II transformed these dreams –and Germany– into ashes. Needless to say that nobody saw his money again. The almost 700 civil "KdF-Wagen" produced until 1945 had been assigned to Nazi big shots.

After humble postwar beginnings, the VW Beetle production constantly picked up speed. Above all, the Beetle became famous for its utmost simple design that was at the verge of austerity. Less components meant less chances of failure. The Beetle's reliability, caused by its simple construction and the painstaking German quality control, paved the way for the car's ever increasing popularity. In the 1950s, Volkswagen began exporting the Beetle to the U.S. where it should become a smash hit. Volkswagen also opened factories in Brazil and eventually in Mexico to cope with the demand of the Latin American market.

Our pictured Beetle is a Brazilian VW Fusca (which means Beetle in Portuguese). To the casual observer, the shape of the Beetle remained virtually similar throughout the 65 years of its production, but there were constant improvements that make it possible to narrow down the time in which the car was produced. In 1977, the fuel cap of Brazilian Beetles moved out to the right front fender, and since 1979, the car received bigger tail lights. Thus, this VW is a child of the three years in between these two milestones. When and how it arrived in Cuba, however, we can't tell. Maybe one of our readers knows the answer..?

1955 Studebaker Commander V-8 Regal Ultra Vista 4-door Sedan

"Here, in a far-advanced 1955 Commander of unmistakable distinction, Studebaker engineers and stylists have superbly combined sensational performance and outstanding beauty. It's a notably out-ahead automobile in every way — powered by an amazing new Commander V-8 'Bearcat' engine that introduces new Studebaker discoveries and techniques in the science of gasoline combustion. Just the least pressure of your foot on the gas pedal brings lightning response that is truly breath-taking. But this is economical high horsepower. It doesn't squander gasoline. This new Commander V-8 is sensationally thrifty to operate."

In 1955, American automobile production soared by 45 percent, making it a fantastic year for most car manufacturers. Studebaker, too, could capitalize on a tremendous production increase, although it meant just temporary recovery from a devastating previous year. Studebaker was one of the losers of the price war that erupted between Ford and GM in 1954. While this fierce competition didn't hurt the initiators, many "independents" severely lost market share because they couldn't keep up with the aggressive pricing of the "Big Three". Studebaker's production nosedived from 151,500 cars in 1953 to about 68,000 cars in 1954. Something had to be done to make the Studebakers more attractive.

The answer seemed obvious, and in the view of Studebaker's management, the lineup for 1955 certainly ticked all boxes: it sported a liberal amount of chrome trim and dashing two-tone color combinations. The sedans gained a trendy "Ultra Vista" wrap-around windshield. Their flashy design served notice that Studebaker intended to keep pace with the "Big Three" in styling matters.

Thus, the stylists had done their homework right. Yet, a tastefully restrained and elegant look had been the visual signature of past Studebakers, and now the cars appeared overdone and somewhat tacky. The designers weren't to blame. According to Bob Bourke, chief designer of Raymond Loewy's Studebaker studio, the front mask was supposed to be painted originally in body color, but after a veto from the sales department, it became a garish chrome affair. All the flashy chrome makeup couldn't betray from the fact, that the cars were based on an already three-year old body, while the competition had just launched their all-new models for 1955.

Under these circumstances, Studebaker seemed to fare surprisingly well, as the annual production rose to 116,300 units in 1955. But it was a short alleviation: next year, the sales plunged again to just 63,100 cars, bringing more trouble to the ailing company. In the latter 1950s, Studebaker came into heavy water and began oscillating between ups and downs. Relief should appear one more time with the introduction of the Lark, Studebaker's new "compact car" that should keep the company afloat into the 1960s. Then, by 1966, it was finally "game over", and America’s oldest car brand conceded defeat.