[Closed] I’m reading that the US and Cuba are starting talks about reestablishing normal relations . . .

Just think of the market for NOS and aftermarket replacement parts!

Many are, indeed.

Yep. quite a few were shown on the evening news on

NBC and they looked to be in pretty good shape.

I think normalization is well overdue. I doubt that there are many taliban or ISIS fighters in Cuba, so I don't know what we've been afraid of all these years.

I've heard that most of them have been heavily modified.

They certainly may have been, John, but the bodies looked good from the brief on-air time. I saw a '58 Pontiac, a '57 Ford, and a '53 or '54 Olds on the news and they looked to be in pretty good shape. As for the drivetrain, quien sabe?

Most of the bodies are Ok but have been fairly poorly maintained.

Many of the interiors and mechanicals have been replaced with Russian parts and cobbled together pieces from other cars. Keep in mind these cars have been in service for well over 50 years with no original parts available. They're known as Yank Tanks down there.

Check here too.

Some of the cars are in great looking shape but it may be pretty expensive to get them out of the country and then have them restored to something resembling original condition. More info and pictures here.

All in all, there are probably some good starting points for restoration...

if a buying frenzy doesn't erupt and prices go through the roof. I'm reasonably certain the Cubans think they are sitting on gold mines.

Well, I think they're probably deluded if that's what they think.

Nonetheless, it's interesting to see those old Yank Tanks running around.

I'd like to think that our '53 Olds 88...

...is still tooling around Santiago.
I have been waiting many years for this day.

I'm with you, Michael. Enough is enough!

I agree, Rick. Seeing them on the streets,among other vehicles is a great reminder of the way I saw them when I was just a little younger than now. :O

You'd have to convince them to sell the only privately-owned cars in Cuba first.

The entire reason they're still running is because of their license plates, basically. A pre-1959 or 1959 car, in Cuba (as in, was there prior to Castro's rise to power), is eligible for a "Cuba Particular" license plate. By that, I mean it's eligible to be privately owned and was essentially grandfathered in. The Ladas, Moskvitches, Polski Fiats, and other cars imported from the East Bloc are state-owned and can be requisitioned, taken away, or confiscated for practically any purpose imaginable (it can and has happened more than a few times).

I know more than a few people in Miami and Hialeah and maybe many did promise to sell their cars years ago, but they were likely counting on the Castros not being in power when the sales were made. At the very least, some form of private ownership of post-1959 cars, but it's not happened. Regardless of which side one is on, I have been told that for or against the embargo, the general reaction was extreme surprise. Therefore, I don't see much changing.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, we do have to remind ourselves that 1) Cuban law hasn't changed one bit with regard to cars and 2) we also have an established precedent. Remember: Canada has never had an embargo, and yet very little in the way of the exchange of cars or parts has been conducted with private individuals. You HAVE seen the Cuban government get parts for its "Gran Car" tourist cars (among others--legally, lower-mid ranking communist officials could get parts this way, as well if they turned down a Lada or a Moskvitch) via Canada, but nothing in the way of dealings with private citizens.