-PDF Download- Cubas Car Culture EBOOK

Cuba's Car Culture

Author: Tom Cotter

Publisher: Motorbooks International

Published: 2016-10

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 0760350264

Welcome to Cuba's automotive time capsule, filled with classic cars. The story of how Cuba came to be trapped in automotive time is a fascinating one. For decades, the island country had enjoyed healthy tourism trade and American outpost status, and by the 1950s it had the highest per capita automotive purchasing of any Latin American country - its middle class ensured an interesting variety of vehicles plying the roads. But when Cuba fell to communist rebels in 1959, so ended the inflow of new cars. Since then, trade embargo forced Cuba's car enthusiasts to develop a unique and insular culture, one marked by great creativity, such as: Keeping a car alive with no opportunity to acquire replacement parts; customizing a car with no access to aftermarket parts; drag racing with no drag strip. In many ways, Cuba is an automotive time warp, where the newest car is a 1959 Chevy or perhaps one of the Soviet Ladas. Cuba's Car Culture offers an inside look at a unique car culture, populated with cars that have been cut off from the world so long that they've morphed into something else in the spirit of automotive survival. Authors Tom Cotter and Bill Warner (founder of the Amelia Island Concours) take readers of Cuba's Car Culture on a whirlwind tour of all things automotive, beginning with Cuba's pre-Castro car and racing history and bringing us up to today's lost collector cars, street racing, and the challenges of keeping decades-old cars on the road. The book is illustrated throughout with rare historical photos as well as contemporary photos of Cuba's current car scene. For anyone who enjoys classic cars, from old Chevy Bel-Airs to Studebakers to Ford Fairlanes, a cruise around Cuba will make you feel like a kid in a candy store.

Che's Chevrolet, Fidel's Oldsmobile

Author: Richard Schweid

Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press

Published: 2009-06-01

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0807888621

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Vintage U.S.-made cars on the streets of Havana provide a common representation of Cuba. Journalist Richard Schweid, who traveled throughout the island to research the story of motor vehicles in Cuba today and yesterday, gets behind the wheel and behind the stereotype in this colorful chronicle of cars, buses, and trucks. In his captivating, sometimes gritty, voice, Schweid blends previously untapped historical sources with his personal experiences, spinning a car-centered history of life on the island over the past century. Packard, Studebaker, Edsel, De Soto: cars long extinct in the United States can be seen at work every day on Cuba's streets. Havana and Santiago de Cuba today are home to some 60,000 North American cars, all dating back to at least 1959, the year the Cuban Revolution prevailed. Though hardly a new part has arrived in Cuba since 1960, the cars are still on the road, held together with mechanical ingenuity and willpower. Visiting car mechanics, tracking down records in dusty archives, and talking with car-crazy Cubans of all types, Schweid juxtaposes historic moments (Fidel Castro riding to the Bay of Pigs in an Oldsmobile) with the quotidian (a weary mother's two-cent bus ride home after a long day) and composes a rich, engaging picture of the Cuban people and their history. The narrative is complemented by fifty-two historic black-and-white photographs and eight color photographs by contemporary Cuban photographer Adalberto Roque.

All the Way to Havana

Author: Margarita Engle

Publisher: Henry Holt Books For Young Readers

Published: 2017-08-29

Total Pages: 45

ISBN-13: 1627796428

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

So we purr, cara cara, and we glide, taka taka, and we zoom, zoom, ZOOM! A family drives into the city of Havana to celebrate a cousin's first birthday. Before their journey, the boy helps his papa tune up their old car, Cara Cara, which has been in their family for many years. They drive along the sea wall, along the coast, past other colorful old cars. The sounds of the city are rich--the putt putts and honks and bumpety bumps of other cars chorus through the streets. A rich celebration of the culture of the Cuban people, their resourcefulness and innovative spirit, and their joy.

Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

Author: Ada Ferrer

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2022-06-28

Total Pages: 576

ISBN-13: 1501154567

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, the United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, where a momentous revolution had taken power three years earlier. For more than half a century, the stand-off continued--through the tenure of ten American presidents and the fifty-year rule of Fidel Castro. His death in 2016, and the retirement of his brother and successor Raúl Castro in 2021, have spurred questions about the country's future. Meanwhile, politics in Washington--Barack Obama's opening to the island, Donald Trump's reversal of that policy, and the election of Joe Biden--have made the relationship between the two nations a subject of debate once more. Now, award-winning historian Ada Ferrer delivers an ambitious chronicle written for an era that demands a new reckoning with the island's past. Spanning more than five centuries, Cuba: An American History reveals the evolution of the modern nation, with its dramatic record of conquest and colonization, of slavery and freedom, of independence and revolutions made and unmade. Along the way, Ferrer explores the influence of the United States on Cuba and the many ways the island has been a recurring presence in US affairs. This is a story that will give Americans unexpected insights into the history of their own nation and, in so doing, help them imagine a new relationship with Cuba. Filled with rousing stories and characters, and drawing on more than thirty years of research in Cuba, Spain, and the United States--as well as the author's own extensive travel to the island over the same period--this is a stunning and monumental account like no other. --

Cuba Cars O/P

Author: Harri Morick

Publisher: Delius Klasing Verlag Gmbh

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9783667108371

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

- A snapshot of Cuban culture, focusing on the amazing classic cars that can be found across the country - Blends the conventional travel guide with a car enthusiast's bible - A must-have for any avid car fan Cuba is worth a visit. Or, as the authors of this book discovered, several. The average package holiday is simply not long enough to visit this country's myriad of sights, all of which are worth seeing. Like so many visitors to Cuba, after their first trip more than fifteen years ago, they returned again and again to trek the sandy beaches shaded by swinging palm fronds, to marvel at the splendid topography of the Vinales Valley, and to admire Cuba's selection of classic cars, which function as part of everyday life on this Caribbean island. As such, this uniquely illustrated book is a product of love. The authors have made it their mission to portray this resplendent nation in all its glory, and to bring Cuba's stunning scenery to your living room. This book represents the "best of" Cuban tours, led by passionate photographer Rainer Floer and his cousin Harri Morick. Morick speaks fluent Spanish, and thus he ensured that the pair were seen as classic car fans rather than regular tourists. They conducted numerous interviews, and in doing so also made friends with the interviewees. Spare parts came from Germany, stories from Cuba. Cars and culture blend in this snapshot of an evolving nation. But this evolution brings with it the threat of change. Who knows how much longer we will find classic cars on Cuba's streets? Includes splendid photos of classic cars dating from before the revloution; American limousines, taxis, and wedding cars; the history of the first Porsche in Cuba; an interview with an artist and his VW Karmann-Ghia, and the Harley Club in Cuba; and amazing scenes of Cuban streets and landscapes.

Cuba Classics

Author: Christopher P. Baker

Publisher: Interlink Books

Published: 2004-01-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781566565462

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This unique homage to Cuba’s astonishing wealth of antique cars is also a paean to the extraordinary people who keep their weary cacharros running with resourcefulness, ingenuity and great good humor. In a collection of vibrant images, Cuba Classics reveals the time-worn splendor of classic American automobiles spanning eight decades. From Model-T Fords and ’40s-era Buick Roadmasters to late ’50s Edsel Citations and Chevrolet Impalas with fins sharp enough to draw blood, this book evokes the nostalgic and seductive world of Cuba’s car culture. Blurry action shots of moving cars…scenics with backdrops that celebrate the island’s beauty…close-ups of hood ornamentation, grillwork and dashboards, illustrate the subject magnicently. This rich array of photographs, complemented by captions that provide fascinating anecdotal detail while celebrating the four-wheeled survivors of a bygone age and the passion of their owners. This magnificent portrait of today’s classic cars is also an exploration of the island’s tumultuous history. Tracing the evolution of motor madness in decadent pre-revolutionary Cuba, the author surveys the tough realities of caring for vintage cars in the modern age of embargo and shortages. These challenges have produced exceptional skill and inventiveness among the owners and mechanics who somehow keep a legion of gas-guzzling leviathans on the road. In a dynamic photojournalistic essay that traces the long love affair between Cubans and the U.S. automobile, Christopher P. Baker also celebrates Cuba’s landscapes and colors, his images putting the beloved cacharros within a tropical setting both sensual and surreal. Written in the lively, engaging style that has won the author numerous literary awards, Cuba Classics draws upon memoirs, museum records, personal interviews and Cuba’s own dusty archives. Mixing history with present-day impressions, technical detail with personal observations, the evocative text proves both absorbing and richly entertaining. Baker’s volume captivates everyone from armchair travelers to classic car connoisseurs with powerful imagery that reflects the beguiling other-worldly charm of Cuba, the Caribbean’s most compelling and intriguing isle.

Havana Blues

Author: Pamela Ruiz

Publisher: Assouline Publishing

Published: 2021-07-01

Total Pages: 6

ISBN-13: 1649800045

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Crumbling pastel-colored facades line its streets, parked vintage cars evoke times past, live music permeates the air. Welcome to Havana, home to an overwhelming energy. Situated along the Straits of Florida, the capital of Cuba has been through several identities: Spanish colonial settlement, mobster rule in the 1930s, glamour of the 1950s, Cuban revolution and, most recently, a cultural renaissance. Havana’s bold, provocative approach to art, cuisine and entertainment—as well as the eclectic blend of African, French, Spanish and North American influences—including its range of architecture styles from the sixteenth century to the modern day, confer this epic city with a legendary status on par with the world’s greatest cities. While some of the building are in disrepair, the beauty of the baroque, neoclassical and art deco features triumphs. The iconic Copa Room cabaret that hosted Ginger Rogers and Abbott and Costello still stands. The Gran Teatro de la Habana, built in the early twentieth century, is now home to the Cuban National Ballet. Habana Vieja is undergoing a massive restoration to its former glory. Havana could be seen as a work-in-progress, but it is more a testament to its never-ending determination to improve and progress, which might be the allure that attracts so many visitors. So take a seat at an authentic paladar (family-run restaurant) and enjoy the vibrant evolution of Havana.

Cuba's Car Culture

Author: Tom Cotter

Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA

Published: 2016-10-01

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1627888810

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Cuba's Car Culture drives through Cuba's love of American cars of the '40s and '50s, and the ingenuity that keeps them running despite the U.S. embargo.2017 Silver Medal Winner of the International Automotive Media Competition! The story of how Cuba came to be trapped in automotive time is a fascinating one. For decades, the island country had enjoyed healthy tourism trade and American outpost status, and by the 1950s it had the highest per capita automotive purchasing of any Latin American country. But when Cuba fell to communist rebels in 1959, so ended the inflow of new cars. Since then, trade embargo forced Cuba's car enthusiasts to develop a unique and insular culture, one marked by great creativity, such as: -Keeping a car alive with no opportunity to acquire replacement parts -Customizing a car with no access to aftermarket parts -Drag racing with no drag stripIn many ways, Cuba is an automotive time warp, where the newest car is a 1959 Chevy or perhaps one of the Soviet Ladas. Cuba's Car Culture offers an inside look at a unique car culture, populated with cars that have been cut off from the world so long that they've morphed into something else in the spirit of automotive survival.Authors Tom Cotter and Bill Warner (founder of the Amelia Island Concours) take readers on a whirlwind tour of all things automotive, beginning with Cuba's pre-Castro car and racing history, up to today's lost collector cars, street racing, and the challenges of keeping decades-old cars on the road.Cuba's Car Culture is illustrated throughout with rare historical photos as well as contemporary photos of Cuba's current car scene. For anyone who enjoys classic cars, whether they're old Chevy Bel-Airs, Studebakers, or Ford Fairlanes, a cruise around Cuba will make you feel like a kid in a candy store.

Cuban Currency

Author: Esther Katheryn Whitfield

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2008-01-01

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 0816650365

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, during an economic crisis termed its “special period in times of peace,” Cuba began to court the capitalist world for the first time since its 1959 revolution. With the U.S. dollar instated as domestic currency, the island seemed suddenly accessible to foreign consumers, and their interest in its culture boomed. Cuban Currency is the first book to address the effects on Cuban literature of the country’s spectacular opening to foreign markets that marked the end of the twentieth century. Based on interviews and archival research in Havana, Esther Whitfield argues that writers have both challenged and profited from new transnational markets for their work, with far-reaching literary and ideological implications. Whitfield examines money and cross-cultural economic relations as they are inscribed in Cuban fiction. Exploring the work of Zo Valds, Pedro Juan Gutirrez, Antonio Jos Ponte and others, she draws out writers’ engagements with the troublesome commodification of Cuban identity. Confronting the tourist and publishing industries’ roles in the transformation of the Cuban revolution into commercial capital, Whitfield identifies a body of fiction peculiarly attuned to the material and political challenges of the “special period.” Esther Whitfield is assistant professor of comparative literature at Brown University.