Saturday, November 17, 2012

Memory Lane

This year’s Miami International Auto Show has two displays of antique cars.  First is a display devoted to the classic cars that could be found on the streets of Havana, before and after Fidel and his gang showed up.

Telemudo 51 built an amazing replica of a square in Old Havana, complete with musicians, food vendors, a cigar roller, and of course classic automobiles cruising through the night.  Our club brought out some of the most iconic and beautiful samples of the classic cars from the 1940’s and ‘50’s, plus a motorcycle and a Ford Model A, that harked back to the days of mojitos and panatelas and when American iron was the king of the road in Cuba.  Visitors got to see such cars as a 1941 Chrysler Royal, a 1955 Mercury Monterey (complete with a Cuban license plate), a mint-condition 1955 Ford Thunderbird, and to get your heart racing, a 1951 Jaguar XK120M.  Of course, cruising wouldn’t be complete without a convertible, so there on the street was a 1957 Buick Special, ready to glide along the Malecon.

On the other side of the convention center next to the boutique, there is an exhibit of twelve muscle and sports cars on display, including a 1959 Chrysler 300E, a 1968 Mustang, a 1972 AMC Javelin, and a 1970 Chevelle SS 396.  Also getting the star treatment was a 1983 Delorean DMC 12, a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Indy Pace Car, and a 1975 Pontiac Firebird.

Here’s a sample of some of the cars on display.

Old Havana as envisioned by Telemundo 51

1951 Jaguar XK120 M

1952 Ford F1 pickup

1956 Chrysler Windsor

1955 Mercury Monterey with Cuban plate

1929 Ford Model A hood ornament

1941 Chrysler Royal

Envisioning Old Havana

Muscle car display — Front to back: 1975 Pontiac Firebird, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396, 1972 AMC Javelin

1959 Chrysler 300E

1983 Delorean DMC 12

1968 Ford Mustang

The show runs through Sunday night, November 18, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

9 barks and woofs on “Memory Lane

  1. What a gorgeous display! Congratulations on your car club’s part in it. I so wish I could be there to dawdle over all of it….is there a time limit before they kick you out 🙂

    • The show closes tonight, but all of the cars are owned by club members and we are just beginning the car show season: our first big one is the Art Deco weekend in January. Over Christmas the Pontiac goes into the beauty parlor for a nip and tuck before the shows.

      PS: FC, if the coral-and-white Chrysler looks vaguely familiar, it’s because Grammie had a black 1955 Chrysler Windsor Newport. I remember it very well.

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