{"id":6085,"date":"2026-06-08T00:10:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T07:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7669095\/cubas-iconic-antique-cars-sit-idle-as-us-energy-blockade-deepens-fuel-crisis\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T10:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:00:29","slug":"cubas-iconic-antique-cars-sit-idle-as-us-energy-blockade-deepens-fuel-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6085\/cubas-iconic-antique-cars-sit-idle-as-us-energy-blockade-deepens-fuel-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba’s iconic antique cars sit idle as US energy blockade deepens fuel crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

HAVANA (AP) \u2014 A worsening fuel crisis<\/a> across Cuba is testing the island’s famed \u201calmendrones,\u201d the vintage American cars that serve as vital shared taxis and embody the island\u2019s ingenuity<\/a> and endurance.<\/p>\n

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 U.S. energy blockade<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Outside his modest concrete-block home on a dirt road in Las Minas, a town of about 2,000 people on the outskirts of Havana<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Valdez is among thousands of Cubans waiting for fuel through a government reservation app<\/a> that, for many, has become a symbol of the shortages it was designed to manage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI signed up in February … I\u2019m still somewhere around number 2,800,\u201d said the 27-year-old who runs an auto body shop from his home.<\/p>\n

The reward for the wait would be 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of gasoline \u2014 enough fuel, Valdez says, to get him to the beach.<\/p>\n

Almendrones represent Cuban improvisation<\/p>\n

The name almendr\u00f3n comes from the Spanish word for almond, a reference to the rounded shape of the large American sedans imported before Cuba\u2019s 1959 revolution<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

On a recent night in Havana, as another blackout darkened much of the city<\/a>, taxi driver Leonardo Daniel Gonz\u00e1lez steered a friend\u2019s glowing purple 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster through the darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese cars are passed down from generation to generation,\u201d said Gonz\u00e1lez, 30. \u201cI had one that belonged to my great-grandfather. It went from him to my grandfather, then to my father, and then to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wait for fuel<\/p>\n

Cuba is experiencing one of its most severe energy crises<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Since January, the Trump<\/a> administration has tightened sanctions on Cuba as an element of its ongoing pressure campaign<\/a> against the island\u2019s communist government. Trump also threatened tariffs<\/a> on countries that sell or transport oil to Cuba, further complicating the island\u2019s efforts to secure fuel supplies. Just a single Russian tanker has delivered oil<\/a> to the island nation since then.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t want to do major repairs anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of them have their cars parked. They don\u2019t have much hope that they\u2019ll be circulating the way they used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almendrones persist even with electric vehicles<\/p>\n

As gasoline becomes harder to obtain, many drivers are turning to Cuba\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n

Omar Everleny P\u00e9rez, a former economist at the University of Havana\u2019s Center of Cuban Economic Studies, said the country\u2019s transportation system still depends heavily on almendrones because modern vehicles remain out of reach for most Cubans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been vital to the transportation of ordinary Cubans,\u201d he said. \u201cNot only in Havana but throughout the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

New vehicles have become available in Cuba in recent years, but at prices far beyond the reach of most state-sector workers, P\u00e9rez said. That has helped keep the aging American cars on the road, even as a different future is beginning to emerge on Cuba\u2019s streets.<\/p>\n

Electric motorcycles imported from China have become increasingly common. Small electric vehicles are also appearing, aided by a growing network of solar-powered charging stations<\/a> promoted by the government as part of its push toward renewable energy.<\/p>\n

Back in Havana, Gonz\u00e1lez is not ready to write off the almendrones. Despite the lack of fuel and a sharp decline in tourism<\/a>, he can still make a living off the old Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are … several WhatsApp groups for us to find rides and so on,\u201d said Gonz\u00e1lez. \u201cBut tourism in Cuba is in very bad shape.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Ariel Fern\u00e1ndez in Havana contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
FILE – A man walks past a gas station that has run out of fuel, located near the U.S embassy, pictured in the background, in Havana, Cuba, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
FILE – Drivers wait in a long line to enter a gas station in Bacuranao near Havana, Cuba, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
People traverse a street in Havana, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Jorge Luis Banos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
People drive a classic American car through a barricade set up by residents protesting against prolonged power outages in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HAVANA (AP) \u2014 A worsening fuel crisis across Cuba is testing the island’s famed \u201calmendrones,\u201d the vintage American cars that serve as vital shared taxis and embody the island\u2019s ingenuity 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":6086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"7049c863-f980-41fa-9e43-8564253018c7","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Martin Silva Rey","published":"2026-06-08 00:10:04","updated":"2026-06-08 09:48:45","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1292,1304],"tags":[],"region":[],"class_list":["post-6085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-politics","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6085\/cubas-iconic-antique-cars-sit-idle-as-us-energy-blockade-deepens-fuel-crisis\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Cuba’s iconic antique cars sit idle as US energy blockade deepens fuel crisis","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6085\/cubas-iconic-antique-cars-sit-idle-as-us-energy-blockade-deepens-fuel-crisis\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6085\/cubas-iconic-antique-cars-sit-idle-as-us-energy-blockade-deepens-fuel-crisis\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-059db914650293759d19d448c04242c1f0561948bd4f8fa344aa8184a9919bb0.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-059db914650293759d19d448c04242c1f0561948bd4f8fa344aa8184a9919bb0.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-06-08T07:10:04Z","datePublished":"2026-06-08T07:10:04Z","dateModified":"2026-06-08T17:00:29Z"},"rendered":"