(December 2012 note: See update link, below.) GUESS I'LL have to set aside my search for the younger Batista’s 1956 Corvette. An even tastier trophy has emerged – a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, better known as the Gullwing. Even on the Island of Surprises, I’d be astounded to come across one of these rare beauties. But in a brief section on Cuba in Automobiles Lost & Found (Haynes Publishing, 2008), I see a photo of a battered 300SL observed by author Michael E. Ware outside a private garage near Havana. The Gullwing, unmistakable lift-up doors in place, is dented and rusting and missing its engine, yet still would be prized by collectors the world over . . . if only they could extract it from Cuba. Restored, the Silver Metallic example with Lipstick Red interior might be worth more than $700,000 U.S. Reached in England, Mr. Ware tells me he was holidaying in Cuba when an acquaintance brought him to an unnamed communit...
Now a division of Toyota, Hino describes itself as the world's third-largest truck builder. The Japanese manufacturer's buses and trucks are in use daily from Canada to Thailand. Rarely outside Cuba, however, will you see a veteran Hino like this still in service. Its round headlamps and old, winged logo mark it, I believe, as a survivor from the 1960s. Outside, it looked great. Inside, well, it needed some work.
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