Cuba has in recent years been on the minds of those in the US in a big way. With trade and travel to Cuba once again open to and from the United States, the culture of Cuba has been on the minds and hearts of the media, intrepid travelers, and many others. Tourism is booming, countless people from the States are flooding to the island. But, there's a special kind of person who is fascinated with Cuba, for a very interesting reason.

That kind of person is the gear head, petrol head, piston head, the car person. The one who is especially interested in old cars, too, hot rods especially. That's because, as many know and the pictures in this lineup will very well illustrate, Cuban streets are lined with classic US made cars, hot rods from the '20s-'60s. They're all still running, many of them are still in fantastic shape. This is due to the fact that Cuba was a major importer of US cars up until the embargo that was placed upon the island by the US. Under the dictatorship, this was further increased due to the fact that it was illegal to own a car newer than 1959.

Things are different now, but for many decades people were using any parts they could find to keep their cars running, from boats, bikes, anything. It's pretty awesome, actually, and something to see if you've got a love for cars. With that in mind, let's take a look at 25 awesome hot rods that can still be seen driving the streets of Cuba today.

24 A Lesson In Taking Care Of A Car

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With the restrictions on the years of cars the citizens of Cuba could own, it became very important to take care of your car. This was because these cars didn't just have to last a few years, maybe a decade, no, they had to last for generations. This Chevrolet, for example, is almost 60 years old.

They are running to this day, sometimes in impeccable condition, sometimes car versions of Frankenstein, with patch-pieced mechanics coming from all kinds of machines, just to keep them going. In any case, they still drive on the streets.

23 A Look At A Tumultuous Past

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This old car and the mural could both belong in the past completely as if this picture was taken half a century ago. But, that's not the case in fact, as this is a modern day picture. Tourists say traveling to Cuba is like taking a trip into the past.

This car, still running today, feels at home in a mural depicting the past, and not the present. It's pretty fascinating, and definitely a unique feature of Cuba's streets, to see these relics of the past still driving around as if it was 1959.

22 A Portal Back In Time

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The architecture of Cuba is almost as fascinating as the cars because the facades and buildings have scarce been updated for what seems like centuries, beyond the regular painting of the buildings in bright colored pastels. They, in a way, are also a blast to the past, just as much as the cars are.

This means that it really does seem like a portal back in time, with ancient buildings all around and antique cars roaming the streets. To get a taste of what it was like to travel the world fifty years ago, head to Cuba.

21 All In White

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This impeccably maintained white Chevy hot rod from the fifties matches the event it's partaking in perfectly. A wedding. The bride is riding in the car like it is a chariot, her veil blowing behind her. It's quite the scene.

Not all Cuban hot rods are as well maintained as this one is. Clearly, someone has taken great care to keep this one in such good condition. It's often these cars that fall into severe dilapidation after so long, though somehow they still keep running.

20 Bright Pastel Streetside

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This picture, with its rich tones and lack of virtually anything modern, looks like it could have been taken on film fifty years ago. But, it wasn't, it was taken in recent times, and these pastel buildings are seriously vibrant and unique.

The beautiful colors and architecture are contrasted with the bright blue Chevy hot rod driving down the street. Such is the normal sight to see in the cities of Cuba, and it's an amazing thing that these cars have been kept alive and in constant use for so long.

19 Cheery Old School Sunshine

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The two cars pictured here in the vibrant tropical streets in the Caribbean island of Cuba are two examples of some seriously old vehicles still in operation to this day. While it's clear these have been repainted a few times over their life, and perhaps have entirely replaced and changed out chassis, they still look remarkably new and well taken care of.

It's truly remarkable to see such old-school machinery still keeping up into our day. Makes you wonder why we make millions of new cars each day. In any case, this is a beautiful sight to see.

18 Decades Of Repairs

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The best part about seeing cars like this still running, despite there being more than half a century old, isn't just the sheer feat that it's possible, but how faithful a well-built car can be. Sure, you may end up replacing every tire, wheel, shock, spring, strut, brake pad and cylinder, spark plug, belt, seal, and exhaust pipe to keep it running, but it's still the same car.

It's that car your family bought over fifty years ago and passed down for decades, the faithful friend who never left your side, the machine that shaped your life in so many ways, still running.

17 Driving History Through A Puddle

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There are essentially two seasons in Cuba, the rainy season, and the dry season. In the rainy season, it's not uncommon to see giant puddles of water lining and filling streets and intersections of the cities of Cuba.

It really well illustrates the durability of the cars that Cuba drives on a day to day basis. Not only have they been running longer than almost every other car on the earth, but they also deal with some adverse conditions. It's truly remarkable, a fantastic statement on sustainability.

16 Golden Chevrolet Sunsets

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This picture belongs on a postcard you could buy in a gas station along Route 66 in the fifties. The golden sun, beach vibes, city views, and a classic, hot rod red Chevy Styleline straight out of 1950. It really is a blast from the past.

Yet, that's the state of the streets in Cuba. It's not just US cars, either, but only recently has Cuba seen any kind of influx of modern cars. As the borders open up more and more, these kinds of relics very well may start to fade away.

15 Green And Turquoise Hot Rod

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The fifties and sixties could easily be considered the space age of car manufacturing, during an age that reflected the romance of the space race taking place, when body lines couldn't be expressive enough, long enough, or flamboyant enough.

Just take a look at that massive sculpted bumper, with the rocket blasters sticking out, or the chrome arrow on the side that starts as a small point and flares backward into a massive fin on the back end. It's a wonder why they started manufacturing cardboard squares for cars instead. Or, in the case of Cuba, why they didn't just stop making cars for a while, at least until these ones stopped working.

14 Hot Rods Lining The Streets

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The majority of the cars still driving the streets of Havana and all the cities in Cuba are more than fifty years old. They all have their very own character, and it's not just US cars that can be seen on the streets. There are a fair number of retro Japan-made cars, too.

This, along with the automotive snapshot of the past, is a huge tourist draw for piston heads around the globe. Fanatics of all kinds flock to Cuba, the mecca of old collectibles, still alive and running.

13 How's This For A Taxi?

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Around the world, there are all kinds of crazy taxis. In Moscow, an entire fleet made up of EV vehicles, in Mumbai, taxis decorated all kinds of ways, all different from the next, or the floating taxi cabs of Venice. These are all fascinatingly unique and different from the next.

In Cuba, the taxi cabs are retro hot rods from the golden age of the US. They are too many car fanatics a pipe dream, yet here they are still alive, running, being used as if no time had passed. Imagine getting in one of these as a taxi.

12 Island Life, Summarized

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There's not really an iconically impactful image more powerful than this one, a hot pink hot rod rolling through the cobblestoned streets of a tropical Caribbean island backset with a deep blue sky.

If there ever was a way to sum up island life and what it's all about, this is about as good of an image as it gets, and it's perfectly Cuba too, with the architecture of the cars as well as the buildings. The culture of Cuba is well worth a visit alone.

11 Keeping It Alive

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This old hotrod has seen some better days, that's clear, but it hasn't seen any days better loved than these, when the amount of care that goes into not only keeping this old relic alive but keeping it thriving, spotless, clean, and in good repair, is quite a significant amount.

It's a beautiful lesson in sustainability and ingenuity to keep the things we use in good repair for longer, and the reward for that. While the market shifts towards the new electric vehicle craze, the simple lesson from Cuba is that keeping old cars for as long as possible is the greenest option of them all.

10 Perfect Orange Dodge Hot Rod

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This orange Dodge hot rod is in seriously good condition, as the paint is impeccable, the chrome is complete without a spot of rust or anything, perfectly polished and gleaming. The white roof and split windshield gleam with cleanness, as if it was a brand new classic straight off the manufacturing line.

These kinds of cars are commonplace in Cuba, where they roam the streets in all kinds of different levels of maintenance. Some are clearly worse for wear, some look like they did the day they were new.

9 Perfect Pop Of Caribbean Color

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The fact that Cuba is a major island in the Caribbean is not more clear or well illustrated than it is in this particular photo, where the pure white sand beaches ease into vibrant shades of neon aquamarine, and then deepen into a rich blue deeper than the bluest sky.

The picturesque nature of Cuba is only enhanced by the picturesque character of the classic cars that dominate its streets. This yellow fifties hotrod is just an example of that, gleaming in vibrant colors.

8 Pink And Red Darlings

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These two twin cars are set off the road and parked as if they were ready for a photo shoot, despite the reality that they are just as woven into the fabric of everyday life as much as anything else on the streets.

Kept nigh impossibly clean and in good condition, the bright colors gleam in the tropical sun and shine, enrobed in different shades of paint, yet very similar in style and beauty. This scene can be found on every street corner in Havana and Cuba.

7 Retro Red Roller

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This old car looks like it's in pretty awesome shape, especially considering that it's over half a century old, at first glance. It's drivable, clean, and well maintained, that's clear immediately.

But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it hasn't been simple to keep this machine running, but it's been worth it. The paint could use a refresh, and if you look closely the front and rear wheels are different from each other, which means that some kind of big repair was needed.

6 Shining In Gold

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This is a mint condition example of just how durable a car can be (or used to be able to be) if it's well taken care of. Of course, these older cars were made with cast steel and mechanical parts almost impossible to wear out, but is that a bad thing?

They're heavy and not the most efficient, but the fact that they have been used and reused for generations now perhaps makes them the most efficient and sustainable cars ever made, or at least it's no stretch of the imagination. This is one seriously beautiful example, too.

5 Vibrant Havana Streets

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The interplay of color in Cuba would be worth the visit alone, to see the vibrant Caribbean foliage, skies, and seas contrasted beautifully by the bright, primary colors of the cars, the buildings, the infrastructure.

Pair this beautifully unique and one of a kind cultural texture with the fascinating and intimidating history, and the beautiful people who live in Cuba begin to shine through as the brightest and most vibrant of it all.