"RW53104" (rw53104)
12/19/2014 at 15:53 • Filed to: None
4
7|
"RW53104" (rw53104)
12/19/2014 at 15:53 • Filed to: None | 4
| 7 |
With all this talk of Cuba, it's easy to get swept up in the soon-realities of fine cigars, tropical vacations, and restored political relationships. But, as Jalopnik's Jason Torchinsky (and many others) have pointed out, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! aspect of the country's newfound accessibility to us in the States.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
The most beautiful car on Cuba's Caribbean shore, the one you should care about most? This rusted out shell of a Mercedez-Benz 300SL gullwing, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! by a man named Piotr Degler.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Degler photographed the old Merc for his calendar, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , an exceptionally accurately titled and practical display of the country's truly one-of-a-kind automotive culture. Not as cute as puppies, but still a great place to write down your dentist appointments.
Unlike your typical car calendar though, this one has taste- oh, and is loaded with stunningly beautiful and raw images of Cuba's carscape in its natural habitat. Torchinsky may have a hankering for a taste of the ingenious shade-tree engineering that's kept hordes of old Chevys plugging along on Soviet engines, but those unlucky jaloppies that didn't survive the times are just as interesting, at least to look at.
The video found on Degler's website is an emotional testament to the country's car culture itself, with beautifully neo-nostalgic imagery of tailfins of decades past against the lush Cuban terroir. Even the scenes of the old pastel'd beautifies chugging down the neighborhood streets are enough to incite envy in any petrolhead.
Why can't the domestic carscape be so pretty?
Degler found the derelict 300SL, after a long and adventurous hunt, situated complacently under a banana tree. Long past patina, this pinnacle of German design now attempts to rejoin the Earth. Beyond salvage, eerily dark and emotive photos are all this car is good for now.
Here's hoping for a better fate for the rest of Cuba's not-as-well-hidden gems.
Photo credit: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
TheHondaBro
> RW53104
12/19/2014 at 15:55 |
|
ima cry
Goshen, formerly Darkcode
> RW53104
12/19/2014 at 15:58 |
|
It was either that or a POS Lada engine swap.
|
RW53104
> Goshen, formerly Darkcode
12/19/2014 at 16:03 |
|
True, maybe this was just too sacred to hack up.
doug.shaw
> RW53104
01/28/2015 at 15:11 |
|
"Why can't the domestic carscape be so pretty?"
Because everything nice we have eventually gets sent to the salvage yard, in favor of the new K-car, Blazer, or Prius (pick your generation).
|
RW53104
> doug.shaw
01/29/2015 at 17:40 |
|
True- and the fact that we even had access to newer vehicles is to blame, too. Why keep it running if you can get something brand new for the same cost?
|
doug.shaw
> RW53104
01/29/2015 at 18:22 |
|
Exactly!
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> RW53104
06/16/2015 at 11:17 |
|
I like the lighting.