CubaTrade-April2017-FLIPBOOK
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When it comes to<br />
servicing the cars of<br />
yesteryear, few Cuban<br />
enterprises can beat<br />
Nostalgicar—the provider<br />
of choice for everyone<br />
from local taxi drivers<br />
to former First Lady<br />
Michelle Obama<br />
By Doreen Hemlock<br />
Photos by Mario Luis Reyes<br />
Julio Alvarez remembers the first time he went<br />
to the United States to talk about his venture,<br />
Nostalgicar, which restores classic cars and also<br />
rents them out with drivers as taxis. He was wowed<br />
by lengthy meetings with White House staff and<br />
members of Congress, but disappointed to find<br />
many friends in Miami too busy to meet with him<br />
because of heavy workloads and expenses. He called<br />
that capitalism.<br />
Three years later, he jokes to a crowd of<br />
American tourists visiting his Havana garage, “I’m<br />
capitalistic in Cuba. I hardly have time for friends<br />
or family, and the money is not enough.” He’s now<br />
looking to rent out a larger space to restore more<br />
Back to the Future<br />
In The Repair Shop: To be sure, not all the<br />
parts in Nostalgicar’s American classics are<br />
original, or even “Made in the USA.”<br />
66 CUBATRADE APRIL 2017
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