Pagoda SL Group
Off Topic => Other cars => Topic started by: Flyair on January 15, 2014, 03:09:47
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Just found a fascinating story about a Gullwing in Cuba. The car is in a more than pity state, but still it shows that the engineering proudly resisted both the climate and the regime. As some may say, it is still worth at least the price of the series number plate
http://expeditionportal.com/trip-report/1739-chasing-the-cuban-gullwing.html
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I don't get it. . . if it's not for sale, that implies the owner has a sense of its value. Then why leave it outdoors in a heap?
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They say that unrestored original classics are commanding more money these days. Can't get any more unrestored and original than those babies. And look at that patina. ;D :D
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Visited Cuba some years ago...many wondrous sights and friendly people but, of course, the cars are fascinating.
As we know, because of trade restrictions with the USA, for many years it has been just about impossible to get parts for cars. Since Castro came to power and imports ground to a halt, the cars in Cuba have been on their own. After using up available stocks of spare parts, they had to make do by cannibalizing similar cars, machining parts, or driving with less than a complete car.
Cubans vintage car owners know what they have...many cars are well preserved in a perfect climate for keeping rust away. I even stumbled on a vintage car show.
There are modern cars in Cuba imported from countries with no trade restrictions but older USA cars are quite numerous...at times the street scene looks like something out of a 1950's film (not only cars, take a look at the Havana hotel and its retro look).
Some of the cars, buses, and trucks have been colorfully painted in a traditional Cuban style. Fun to look at.
My guess is that the normalization of relations with Cuba (which seems to be an real possibility), will have an impact on the US car market. New US cars will be needed to fill an over 50 year vacuum, and for US collectors, the biggest "barn find" ever will take place with some price changes possible for similar vintage cars. "Imported from Cuba" will be a new catch phrase.
I don't foresee a glut of Gullwings driving the price down but the low and middle price cars might become more available with Cubans being able to cash in on the treasures they have been caring for all these years.
Should be interesting.
Richard M, NYC
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I checked with a friend of mine who spent some years in Cuba and in his opinion the reason why there are no sales of these old-timers abroad is due to the fact that it is forbidden by law. But I agree that this will most likely not last for long.
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Stan, do you mean that it is forbidden by Cuban law to sell the cars outside of Cuba at all? Or is this something that applies only to the U.S.A.? I have often wondered by Canadian collectors or entrepreneurs don't gobble up all the Cuban cars, since we northern socialists are quite cozy with Cuba. (Canaduba? Cubanada?) Then we could even sell them forward to the U.S.A. since we northern capitalists are quite cozy with the U.S.A. But maybe this explains why all this doesn't happen.
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Peter,
What I understand is that, despite the revolutionary hatred towards everything that was from the capitalist era, all items dating from before 1959, including oldtimer cars, are considered as National Patrimony in Cuba. As such these items are still excluded from exportation.
However, many of these cars underwent, as I gather, several modifications due to the lack of original parts, but also to deal with petrol/gas thirsty engines, replacing them with more modern diesels. These modifications make them obviously less attractive, even if they were free to go abroad.
While the car market in Cuba was just recently liberalised, allowing Cubans to buy and trade cars without the State permit required till then, it does not mean that the law on national treasures changes any time soon.
Moreover, since the state keeps levying hefty taxes on new cars, making their price often four times higher than in the US, it promises a long life to oldtimers before the Cubans are able to replace them.
a bit of info about this topic can be read here
http://www.cuba-oldcars.com
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This weekend at Gooding & Company in Scottsdale we saw a "nut and bolt" restored gullwing go for $1.2M and this one go for $1.7M...
http://www.goodingco.com/vehicle/1956-mercedes-benz-300-sl-gullwing-4/
Go figure.