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Roll with it

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For hire: 1950 Buick Super convertible.    Some of Cuba's finest old cars are running up a lot more miles these days.    The reason? The island's 2010 relaxation of rules about self-employment.    Of 178 activities newly opened to those willing to give capitalism a whirl, private taxi operator seems to have been a popular choice. And more than one neophyte cabbie appears to have quickly twigged to the appeal of a desirable classic car in securing big-tipping tourist fares.    These private cabs, seen today in every resort area, are not to be confused with the handpicked antiques of the government-run Gran Car service, or the plodding Havana sedans and wagons that serve as fixed-route collectives.    These are family cars  —  often heirlooms handed down through generations  —  and until recently in private service (at least as far as the government was concerned). Today, they're very much in the public eye.    Visitors to Cuba will like this. Now they're more l
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Crosmobile wagon: A little car lasts a long time

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Apart from the modern mirrors, export-model Crosley looks largely original.        A LONG while back, I put up photos of this tiny wagon in Havana. Most students of automotive history would have identified it as a Crosley, from the short-lived Crosley Motors Inc. of the United States.    As the additional photo above reveals, however, it's actually a rarer yet Crosmobile, which was Crosley's export nameplate. The change was reportedly necessary to avoid conflicts with England's Crossley Motors. To illustrate the diminutive dimensions of a Crosley for sale on topclassiccars.com , a Texas dealer parked it beside a Ford F-150 pickup. It might have fit in the truck bed.    Crosley made cars from 1939 through 1952, less a four-year interruption for military production in the Second World War. The station wagon was its most popular model, but it also offered  convertibles and sedans, a sports car and even a tiny pickup truck. This wagon is from Crosley's fina
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