Embargo on Foreign Car Imports
One of the most iconic things you can see in Cuba is the abundance of old cars. We don’t mean old as in the car your parents owned when they were teens (probably). We mean old as in pre-1952 four-door sedans. It’s surprising to see just how well-maintained their 70-plus-year-old cars are and how they fare on unpaved roads.
When Fidel Castro came to power, he placed an embargo on all foreign car imports, which was bad for the country since they didn’t manufacture their own vehicles. It wasn’t until 2011 that Cubans could purchase used cars from the States, and two years later, they were allowed to buy new ones from US dealerships.