Havana, CUBA- Cuba is a world of its own often compared with a walk into a time machine.
An interesting example of this is that unbeknown to the rest of the world, Cuba even has its own unique system of branding your license plate to quickly identify to the world who you are and what rights you have and don't have in Cuba.
The spectrum of color coordinated license plates and special codes tell the ever watching eye of authority how important you are in the Cuban political and Economic system, your nationality, where you work and your rank.
In short your Cuban license plate say it all as you drive in posh 5th avenue or along the seaside Malecon.
Cuba's system of colored license plates was copied directly from the KGB in former Soviet Union. This coding system is yet another way Cuban authorities have kept control on their people and foreigners for decades.
Cuba Government Owned Cars
To be fair the fact is that the Cuban government owns most 95% of all the cars in Cuba. Cuban Government vehicles have blue plates with letters and numbers that indicate when and where the vehicle can operate.
Blue Cuban Cars cannot be used for personal use and can only be used for official government or professional purposes.
The risk to take your car to the beach is that there are many Traffic Inspectors strategically planted along most highways out of town and other high-traffic areas, stopping official cars to check their routes and to make sure they aren't being used for taking your family to the beach.
Top Cuban executives at government firms have light brown colored plates that allow more leeway yet they still may only be allowed to use their vehicles to travel to and from work.
Yet another form of control is what it really is said Emilio Perez, a chauffeur who is driving a Black Mercedes to escort elite foreign officials around Havana.
Russian Cars in Cuba
Since 1960's the Soviet Union was Cuba's God father and benefactor. For decades all Cuban license plates were boring black and white, and the first two letters specified the province where the car was registered.
The third letter determined the state or private ownership depending on the status.
The Soviets also had a very special Code of numbers for embassy license plates determined by country's recognition of the Russian Revolution: Plates for Britain, which is the first foreign country to accept the czar's ouster are still 001.
Cuba fashioned its own similar system with the first letter in the license plate indicating the 14 provinces the car originates, H is from Havana.
The letter K is "Particular" or "privately owned" car by a person or by a foreign firm.
Military Cars in Cuba
The powerful Military vehicles have mint-green with no front and only rear plates. Olive-green plates are for vehicles of the Ministry of the Interior, including El Comendante, Fidel Castro's fleet of armored black Mercedes 280s, which were built in the early 80's.
The most valuable seem to be the black plates are for reserved exclusively for foreign diplomats who don't have to adhere to traffic laws.
White plated cars of Cuban government ministers or heads of state organizations also drive as if they have diplomatic immunity but with reserved caution in case they are in danger of being replaced.
Diplomatic Cars in Cuba
Ironically its the last 3 numbers on diplomatic plates that show the professional rank of the driver. If you're behind a Mercedes with black license plate 179-002, that means the car belongs to the second most-important officer from the Russian embassy.
Even though everyone's supposed to be equal under Cuban socialism most everyone in Cuba knows that that is not true especially when a modern shiny black sedan with black license plates speeds along 5th Avenue in Miramar, Havana as if to show "I'm more important than you"
Decades ago Cuban officials' cars were Soviet imports, as the Cubans were encouraged to drive Russian Ladas or other square slow cars. Now many Cuban vehicles are imported from China or bought from Havana's Peugeot, Fiat and Mercedes dealerships, adding variety to the white-plated fleet.
Tourist Rental Cars in Cuba
Even the Toursit rental cars get maroon plates and foreign journalists, religious leaders and Cubans managers for overseas firms have orange plates.
If you see Red then its provisional plates that allow vehicles to circulate while Cuban authorities sort out just what color category is required.
American Classic Cars in Cuba
Best of all the countless 50year old American Classic roadsters that create a living moving museum along the island's potholed streets have bright yellow license plates, meaning they are normal vehicles owned by ordinary Cubans.
These dinosaurs from the good old days of Detroit's chrome-and-tail-fin era are still dominant on most Cuban roads because ordinary Cubans can not own new cars. Cubans can buy and sell only cars manufactured before the Castro's took power in 1959.
As yet another form of Control the buying of any newer vehicles requires Cuban government permission - including justifying how you can afford a car when the communist state controls well over 90 percent of the economy and pays employees an average of about $10 to $20 a month.
All this maybe confusing for a foreigner, but for Cubans it's normal. As they say in Cuba "No es Facil"
RENT CUBAN CLASSIC 1950's ANTIQUE CARS
On your next Cuba Vacation you can Rent cars in Havana or Varadero Cuba.
Love those old American classic Cars roaming the streets of Old Havana. They sure don't build great cars like the did back in the 50's.
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