HAVANA (AP) 鈥� A across Cuba is testing the island’s famed 鈥渁lmendrones,” the vintage American cars that serve as vital shared taxis and embody the island鈥檚 and endurance.
These days, many of the iconic gas-guzzling antique cars sit idle, casualties of fuel shortages that have gripped Cuba since January and that Cuban officials blame on a .
Outside his modest concrete-block home on a dirt road in Las Minas, a town of about 2,000 people on the outskirts of , Diriel Valdez is restoring a 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe. The burgundy body is intact and the original engine still works. Finding fuel for it, however, is another matter.
Valdez is among thousands of Cubans waiting for fuel through a that, for many, has become a symbol of the shortages it was designed to manage.
鈥淚 signed up in February … I鈥檓 still somewhere around number 2,800,鈥� said the 27-year-old who runs an auto body shop from his home.
The reward for the wait would be 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of gasoline 鈥� enough fuel, Valdez says, to get him to the beach.
Almendrones represent Cuban improvisation
The name almendr贸n comes from the Spanish word for almond, a reference to the rounded shape of the large American sedans imported before Cuba鈥檚 .
For decades, sanctions, shortages and limited imports forced Cuban mechanics to become masters of improvisation. Engines were swapped, bodies rebuilt and replacement parts sourced from wherever they could be found.
On a recent night in Havana, as another , taxi driver Leonardo Daniel Gonz谩lez steered a friend鈥檚 glowing purple 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster through the darkness.
鈥淭hese cars are passed down from generation to generation,鈥� said Gonz谩lez, 30. 鈥淚 had one that belonged to my great-grandfather. It went from him to my grandfather, then to my father, and then to me.鈥�
The wait for fuel
Cuba is experiencing one of its most severe in years. The population, already battered by decades of economic crises and shortages, is now navigating daily blackouts that can last up to 20 hours in some parts of the island.
The country produces only about 40% of the fuel it consumes and depends heavily on imports to keep its power plants running and its transportation network moving.
Since January, the administration has tightened sanctions on Cuba as an element of its against the island鈥檚 communist government. Trump also threatened on countries that sell or transport oil to Cuba, further complicating the island鈥檚 efforts to secure fuel supplies. Just a single to the island nation since then.
Standing beside his Chevrolet in Las Minas, Valdez, who runs the auto body shop, said the fuel shortage is also affecting his livelihood. He learned auto-body work from his stepfather and has been repairing classic cars since he was 13.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 want to do major repairs anymore,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of them have their cars parked. They don鈥檛 have much hope that they鈥檒l be circulating the way they used to.鈥�
Almendrones persist even with electric vehicles
As gasoline becomes harder to obtain, many drivers are turning to Cuba鈥檚 black market, where fuel can often be found more quickly, though at significantly higher prices that can reach up to $8 per liter ($30 per gallon).
Omar Everleny P茅rez, a former economist at the University of Havana鈥檚 Center of Cuban Economic Studies, said the country鈥檚 transportation system still depends heavily on almendrones because modern vehicles remain out of reach for most Cubans.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been vital to the transportation of ordinary Cubans,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot only in Havana but throughout the country.鈥�
New vehicles have become available in Cuba in recent years, but at prices far beyond the reach of most state-sector workers, P茅rez said. That has helped keep the aging American cars on the road, even as a different future is beginning to emerge on Cuba鈥檚 streets.
Electric motorcycles imported from China have become increasingly common. Small electric vehicles are also appearing, aided by a growing network of promoted by the government as part of its push toward renewable energy.
Back in Havana, Gonz谩lez is not ready to write off the almendrones. Despite the lack of fuel and a , he can still make a living off the old Chevrolet.
鈥淭here are … several WhatsApp groups for us to find rides and so on,鈥� said Gonz谩lez. 鈥淏ut tourism in Cuba is in very bad shape.鈥�
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Ariel Fern谩ndez in Havana contributed to this report.
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