RiveraNotario (Ramon Rivera) posted this shot of a 1987 GAZ-14 Chaika, one of five formerly in Fidel Castro’s stable. With their armor removed and their thirsty V8s replaced by Mercedes diesels, they are now in the fleet of CubaTaxi. Whether they got rid of the smell of cigars inside is unknown. For that matter, the driver will probably offer to sell you a Cohiba, Fidel’s preferred brand. Maybe a Fidel cap to go with it? Just bring your own beard. And your dollars.
Update: It turns out Ramon Rivera actually rode in this Chaika taxi. The full write-up is here.
I have some doubts about this is actual Fidel vehicle. More likely it was bong to Cuban government VIP fleet, and after retirement from government service, it was put into taxi tasks. I read somewhere that in he often used a fleet of Mercedes S class probably W126 when he was still active. In later his movement was taken by a conversion van. For sure he had many Soviet luxury cars including Zil. Frankly a more practical vehicle for Cuban climate is Toyota Crown which had an excellent air conditioning system.
You would think Fidel would insist on a Zil.
I very much doubt the Russians would have given him one. The always let him know that he was dependent on them.
Fair point.
The headline alone, which has generated many laughs in this household, is a contender for several journalism awards.
And it doesn’t matter whether it was Fidel’s car or not.
tygerleo and JM Solberg,
I’ve been interested in Soviet Bloc cars since I first saw the ZIS110 limo featured in Man Magazine from 1952. A big production figure for ZIS limousines was 25 vehicles in a single year [not including ambulances and other special bodies]. They have always been difficult to find for sale anywhere, and the chances of a ZIS or ZIL ending up in Cuba is highly unlikely. The one in Man Magazine had been captured by US Army forces during the Korean conflict. Wikipedia says this about ZIS limousines sent to other dignitaries;
“These cars were often given away as gifts to foreign communist leaders such as Chinese leader Mao Zedong and North Korean premier Kim Il-sung. After Stalin, the ZIL 110 c cabriolet was used as a parade car for Nikita Khrushchev and this model was also gifted to Enver Hoxha, the lifelong president of Albania. Ho Chi Minh, the first president of North Vietnam, also received one (most likely from the Soviet Union), which can be seen on display on the grounds of his former residence in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.”
After the ZIS 110 production ended, it’s replacement was the ZIL 111 and 111G. with a combined production of only 112 vehicles from 1956 to 1967. I don’t know of any 111 vehicles in western hands. The ZIL 115 [and later 4104] cars were even harder to find, with only 106 vehicles constructed. All115 series cars were under KGB control, and none were believed to have been granted an export license until about 25 years ago. As far as I can remember, only 4 have been offered in the western world.
As for Fidel insisting on a ZIL, I doubt he had that kind of power over his Soviet mentors.
In 1989 my friend Rick Schnitzler, a fellow petrolhead, literature dealer, and automotive journalist, managed to get into Cuba. When he returned, knowing of my interest in Tatra cars, Rick said there was a storage lot full of Tatra T2-603 sedans, all painted black. They were sitting near the docks at the main port where the cruise ships came in. He also thought there were a few GAZ13 Chaika 7-passenger sedans there as well.
I’ve owned 2 Tatra T2-603 cars here in America, and briefly owned a Gaz13 Chaika in England. [Had to sell the Chaika when I found out the car’s actual build date was well under the 25 year date to import it to America, and I still wanted to find one.]
One of Rick’s contacts said the Tatra & GAZ cars had been parked and left to rot because the government couldn’t get spare parts due to the CZ and RU governments wanting hard currency for spare parts, not trade deals.
Each time I’ve known of someone going to Cuba, I’ve asked then to keep watch for Tatras and Chaika13 cars, but no one reports having seen any.
An interesting side note: After the fall of the iron curtain, I visited the former East Germany a couple of times looking for cars and transportation items, where I was offered several ZIS 110 limousines [all in Russia], and in each situation, the owner of the car had paperwork guaranteeing the limo had been Stalin’s personal limousine. What they didn’t realize was that I already knew the papers were bogus, as Stalin never had a specific vehicle for his own use, as he was so afraid of assassination that he used other politburo member’s cars, picking out a different vehicle daily.
Back then, “interesting” paperwork was easy to get. My German friend Helmut was returning from a trip to Moscow in his 1948 Buick, when he stopped in a small town in Russia where they manufactured small cc motorcycles. He wanted to buy one and asked how much, in US Dollars, and was told $75 complete with export papers in his name. 10 minutes later they strapped a crated motorcycle to the back of the Buick and he brought it home with no problems.
I believe Chairman Mao had a Zis 115, a gift from Comrade Starlin. We were told it was the only vehicle he used when he was in Peking, even when China had produced Honqi CA 772, an armor version of CA 770, and had a fleet of Mercedes 600 W100 since late 1960s. The vehicle had no air conditioning, so in hot summer time, a block of ice in a large container was put inside the car to cool, the same method the emperor to cool his palace in the past. The very thick windshield,of the the 115 distorts the viewing. The chauffeur needed to get special training. Zis 110 was somewhat a bit more common, all the top top leaders had one until they replaces first with CA 72 and later CA770. When I was still in Canton, I often saw a 110 with military plate in prefect condition parked on the street where I waited for the intercity bus. I remember one time few white tourists were circling the vehicle and tking pictures. Apparently they knew it was special vehicle.
Back to CA772, it was the limousine Nixon used in Peking when he made his historic trip to China in February of 1972, i think it was good enough for US Secret Service, and operated safely during the snow when Nixon visit the Forbidden Palace, and climbed up the mountains during his visit to Great Wall. But CA770 was known to have brake defects, almost killed the Romania President when the brake failure occurred during his Great Wall trip.
Well, I’ve never been to Cuba or riden in a Chaika, but (following the link to Ramon’s article) why oh why would anyone reupholster the interior of that car with J.C. Penny couch covers from the 1970s?
“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as a taxi”
I recently went to Cuba (November) and actually went looking for this one or a similar car. We never did come across but it is a bit of crap shoot as what you come across.
Kind of a Russian Fleetwood 75.
Indeed althought from the roofline, it reminds me of a 1965-66 full-size Ford and to a latter extent, this limousine shown in a movie named “Double Trouble”.
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_217444-Ford-LTD-Landau-Stretched-Limousine-1976.html
Nice information! Thanks. In the 1980’s I was up close to a lesser Russian limousine that had been imported to America. I was calling on the customer for trucks. He owned this car and wanted to sell it. It was fun to look into it. Condition was good. I was imagining mid-level Party officials being given these and taking young ladies away for weekends to their DACHAS for fun. For these women, they would receive favors that were not commonly available or extra money for their families. The car just reeked of unspoken history.
What a fun taxi .
-Nate