New event brings together antique cars and the Tropicana show

By Daily Pérez Guillén

If you have ever heard the saying that “Havana is a museum on wheels,” now is your chance to see it, as the capital will host the first Festival de Maridaje de Clásicos Tropicana & Autos, bringing together classic cars and the iconic Tropicana show, to run February 28 through March 2.

The event is organized by the A Lo Cubano Classic and Antique Car Club and the Tropicana Cabaret of the Palmares tourist enterprise. Representatives of both entities informed national and foreign media about details of the event in a press conference held on Friday.

Joaquín Yuenking Mock, director of the emblematic nightclub, explained that this initiative is part of a collaboration between the Cubasol Business Group, Cubadeporte and Tropicana to create a unique event where sports, culture and recreation converge.

A press release shared by the Classic and Antique Car Club details that a rally will be held on March 1 and is expected to be joined by around 100 cars.

“This is a good occasion to highlight the interaction between our city and antique cars manufactured before the 1960s, which give life and color and have contributed so much to our history and culture and as a heritage asset of the country and its inhabitants. Today we welcome visitors from different parts of the world to appreciate our museum of rolling jewels,” stated Alberto Gutiérrez Alonso, president of the Club.

The tour through Havana streets and avenues will include places of interest, historical, cultural and tourist attractions in different municipalities of the city.

The route will be kept secret from competitors until two minutes before the start of the event.

Each team will consist of two members, a pilot and co-pilot. The latter will be in charge of time calculations and must know at all times the position of the team on the set route. The crew members may alternate roles as long as both have a driver’s license.

The 28th will see the technical condition of the vehicles checked between 9 am and 1 pm, while team members will undergo a medical check before the start to ensure that no participating persons are under the influence of alcohol.

The start for the first car will be at 10 am. Thereafter, the start frequency will be set at one minute between each car. It is expected that the tour will last about 2 hours.

The times of each stage will be checked at checkpoints located in different places that participants will discover as they advance through the streets of the city.

The following will be penalized: overtaking (5 points) and delays (2 points). Such operations can be determined with previously conceived mileage tables or on-the-spot calculation with the help of the necessary instruments.

As an indispensable requirement, the organizers point out respect for the traffic laws established in the Traffic Code (Law 109), since the violation of these rules will mean the disqualification of the team from the competition.

“The rally is a competitive event of recreational and cultural character, not of speed,” emphasize the organizing authorities.

Registration of competing cars will begin on Sunday, February 9, on the occasion of the Club’s monthly meeting, and a seminar will be held for the participants by the Club’s technical team.

The three-day program also includes lectures by the general director of HG Media and the director of the Automobile Museum in Cuba, as well as a grand parade of classic cars.

The awards gala will take place at the Tropicana Cabaret, whose gardens usually receive the members of the Antique Car Club on Sundays. The show “Oh, La Habana” will mark the culmination of this first edition of the Festival. The organizing committee expects this event to be a unique experience as Cuba’s most famous nightclub celebrates its 85th anniversary.