The streets of Cuba are teeming with 60,000 classic American cars, and it's an iconic experience for the island's visitors.

古巴的街道上有著六萬台美國老爺車，而這對島上的觀光客來說是種非常獨特的體驗。

A majority of tourists can tell a story about riding down the Malecon in a hot pink Chevy Bel-Air, or driving through Havana city center in a baby blue Cadillac.

大部分的遊客都能訴說出坐在一台粉紅色雪弗蘭 Bel-Air 裡開過馬雷貢大街，或是開著一台嬰兒藍凱迪拉克穿過哈瓦那市中心的回憶。

But how did these classic cars get there?

不過這些老爺車到底都是怎麼來到這裡的？

And more importantly, why did they stay?

更重要的是，它們為什麼被保存到現在？

In the 1940s and 1950s, Cuba had a strong urban middle class, and this class had a passion for American cars.

1940 與 1950 年代時，古巴島上仍有著資金雄厚的中產階級，而這些人們對於美國車情有獨鍾。

Cuba imported over 125,000 American cars, and at one point, Havana was considered the Cadillac capital of the world.

古巴進口了超過 125,000 輛美國車，而在某段時期，哈瓦那甚至被稱為世界的「凱迪拉克首都」。

Shortly after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, a ban was placed on imported cars and car parts.

在費德爾·卡斯楚於 1959 年掌權後的不久，便發布了對於進口車輛與零件的禁令。

American tourism to Cuba came to a halt, and 1.4 million Cubans left the country, leaving behind their families, homes, and cars.

島上少了來自美國的遊客，而 140 萬名古巴人則離開了家鄉，把他們的家人、房子和車子都留在了古巴。

These abandoned cars were passed on to family or friends and became prized possessions, with owners who are willing to do whatever it takes to keep them on the road.

這些被拋棄的車輛於是轉手給了車主的親朋好友，並成為了寶貴的私有物，讓任何有幸擁有的人願意盡一切努力來保持它們能繼續在路上奔馳。

Cubans turned to their ingenuity. Parts from tractors or lawnmowers became makeshift engines, and shampoo turned into brake fluid.

古巴人於是發揮了他們的創意。拖拉機或割草機上面的零件被組裝成了臨時引擎，而洗髮精則被轉變成了煞車油。

The cars are a symbol of hard work, but there are also a source of income.

車子不但是辛勤勞動的象徵，也是收入的來源。

A Cuban driver can make more in an hour than a Cuban doctor makes in a month.

一名古巴司機一個小時所賺到的錢，比一名古巴醫生一個月能賺到的錢還多。

Our producer, who visited her Cuban family in May 2018, saw the links families were willing to take to keep their cars running.

我們的製作人在 2018 年 5 月的時候拜訪了他在古巴的親戚，並目睹了各家庭為了讓車子能繼續正常運作願意付出多大程度的努力。

Being a driver in Cuba is a career path.

在古巴，當一名司機是個很棒的職業。

That's one of the few career paths, um, that allows you to kind of make your own money, and not depend solely on the government providing it for you.

這是少數能讓你賺到自己的錢，而不是僅能仰賴政府資助的職業。

So it is a very lucrative business.

所以這是個非常賺錢的產業。

It is also a huge investment.

同時它也需要投資大量資源。

It was definitely not what I envisioned when I was scrolling through Instagram, trying to get inspiration and travel photo ideas.

在我滑 Instagram，想尋找一些靈感和旅遊攝影點子的時候，這絕對不是我原本腦中想像的情景。

It just gave me a better appreciation of the ingenuity involved and the determination involved.

但這個經驗給我了對於整個產業內牽涉到的創意與決心感到更加佩服。

I definitely suggest, you know, getting that experience and driving in the classic cars.

我絕對會建議去體驗看看乘坐這些老爺車的感覺。

But I think it's super important to remember that your photo op is their way of life.

但我覺得非常重要的是，要記得這場景對我們來說或許只是拍照的好機會，對他們而言卻是生活的方式。

For tourists, It's not just a way to get from point A to point B.

對遊客來說，這並不僅僅是從 A 點移動到 B 點而已。

Riding in a classic car is an experience, and an hour long ride can cost anywhere from $25 to $40.

乘坐老爺車是一種獨特體驗，而一個小時的行程要價 25 到 40 美元不等。

Graham Flanagan, another one of our producers, traveled to Cuba in 2015.

我們的另一個製作人 Graham Flanagan 曾在 2015 年時前往古巴旅遊過。

I knew that there were gonna be a lot of beautiful classic cars, but I thought there would be kind of mixed into a bunch of regular modern cars.

我本來就知道那邊有很多漂亮的老爺車，但我以為裡面會混著一堆普通的現代車。

I was blown away by just how many of these cars there are.

我當時被眼前所見的老爺車數量給嚇傻了。

It's just one of the most unique and colorful characteristics of the city.

那真是這個城市最獨特且多彩的特色之一了。

I would absolutely recommend that if you're going to Cuba, you need to hop in one of these cars and go for a ride and explore the city.

如果你有機會去古巴旅遊的話，我絕對建議你跳進一輛老爺車，搭著它探索整個城市。

Explore the city of Havana, get off the beaten path.

探索整個哈瓦那，別總是走在常規的路上。

I can still smell that unforgettable smell of all of that fuel exhaust walking the streets of Havana.

我到現在仍彷彿能聞到飄到在哈瓦那街頭，那難以忘懷的汽車排氣味道。