The Mystery of the Vintage Cuban Cars
Directions:
Read the Handy Dandy Guide and the mystery. Read the
clues assigned to your group. Be careful. Only some of the
clues are useful in solving the mystery. Decide which
clues are most relevant to solving the mystery. Use the
clues and one or more of the ideas from the Handy Dandy
Guide to figure out a solution to the mystery.
Handy Dandy Guide
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
People choose.
People’s choices involve costs.
People respond to incentives in predictable ways.
People create economic systems that influence individual choices and incentives.
People gain when they trade voluntarily.
People’s choices have consequences that lie in the future.
The Mystery…
Walk the streets of most Cuban cities and towns and you will see thousands of 1950’s-era American
made cars. Your taxi might be a 1952 Buick, a 1954 Ford, or maybe even a 1957 Chevrolet. Not just used
as taxis for tourists, these vintage cars are used daily as transportation for Cubans from all walks of life.
Why are there so many vintage cars on the streets of Cuban cities and towns?
The Clues…Place a check next to the clues that you think explain the mystery.
___ 1. Cuban consumers only like vintage vehicles.
___ 2. The Soviet Union was the #1 financial backer of Cuba in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s.
___ 3. The U.S. government placed a total trade embargo on Cuba in 1962.
___ 4. After coming to power in 1959, the Cuban government made it illegal to import vehicles without
government permission.
___ 5. Between 1959 and 2011, Cubans could not legally buy or sell a vehicle made after 1959.
___ 6. The climate in Cuba is good for vintage vehicles.
___ 7. Gasoline prices are very low in Cuba.
Solve the mystery, using the clues and ideas from the Handy Dandy Guide. Record your solution here
and explain it briefly:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Key:
Clues 4, 5, and 3 best explain this mystery. Only those Cubans who owned cars before 1959 were
allowed to maintain ownership rights of their vehicles. Vehicles purchased before 1959 became VERY
valuable to anyone who was fortunate enough to own one.
Cubans were not allowed to purchase cars without special government permission between 1959 and
2011. The importation of most vehicles into Cuba was halted by the Cuban government in 1959. The
importation of any vehicle from the United States was officially stopped when the U.S. embargo went
into effect in 1962.
Handy Dandy Guide links: 1-6