Thawing of American-Cuban relations paves way for classic car TV show

On Tuesday, Discovery MAX premiered Cuba Car Club, the first American-made TV show shot entirely on the island. The show features stories about cars made in the United States before the Cuban Revolution of 1959. Discovery MAX describes these vehicles are “veritable survivors from another era,” and “frozen in time,” given that their manufacture was halted many years ago and given the difficulty of getting parts to upgrade them.

The program’s creators say they want to “give the audience a new and intimate look at this country.” And they will use “A lo cubano Car Club,” a workshop for car enthusiasts, as the starting point. The stories will show “an incredible collection of classic American cars, magically maintained as if they had just left the factory yesterday,” Discovery MAX says.

The first season will have eight episodes featuring automotive enthusiasts such as Ricardo Medel, Demetrio Montalvo, Fernando Barral, Roberto Ordaz, Alberto Gutiérrez and his son Dayan. The group will have several missions, including restoring a 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air, finding parts for a 1953 Oldsmobile and fixing up a 1959 Cadillac.

English version by Dyane Jean François.