The tale of the mystery muscle car
Window sticker identifies fat-tired two-door from the 1970s as a Chevrolet Camaro. Every car tells a story, and some of the richest stories, we know, are told in Cuba. Consider this green muscle car from an era rarely seen on an island that has not imported vehicles directly from the United States since 1959. It is, says the owner, nodding to the decal in the rear window, a 1979 Chevrolet Camaro. It came to Cuba years ago from Canada, he tells me, the property of a contract worker who left it behind when he returned home. Alas, the original big gasoline V-8 engine has been replaced by a more economical diesel, the owner admits. But with fat tires and raised tail, the car retains its muscular swagger. Except it does not look like any 1979 Camaro I've ever seen. I decide not to mention this to its proud custodian, thinking that perhaps it came not from Canada but South America, where the Camaro badge might have bee...