Yank tank
Encyclopedia
Yank
tank is a slang
term referring to American cars, especially large models produced in the 1950s and 1960s as well as SUVs of recent production.
Yank tank or máquina are the words used to describe the many classic car
s (for example: 1957 Chevrolet
, 1953 Ford, 1958 Dodge
, etc.) present in Cuba
with an estimated 60,000 of them still driving the roads today. In 1962 an embargo was placed on Cuba by the United States, effectively cutting trade between the countries. This meant that the cars in Cuba could no longer receive new replacement parts when something broke. Currently, the only way to keep these cars on the road today is by using Cuban ingenuity to adapt household products and Soviet technology into these vehicles. If a car is unable to be repaired at the time, the car is usually either “parked” for future repair or “parted out” (to produce extra income for the owner’s family) so that other cars can remain on the road. During the years of Soviet Union
influence on Cuba, Lada
s, Moskvitch
s and Volga
s became the main cars imported by the communist regime, mainly for state use. As a result of these internal economic restrictions, to this day there is no such thing as a new or used private European or Asian automotive dealership branch in Cuba for independent purchasing by normal Cubans.
The only American cars that can be purchased for private use in Cuba (with "particular" plates) are those that were previously registered for private use and acquired before the revolution. However, if the owner doesn’t have the proper paper work called a “traspaso”, the vehicle cannot be legally sold.
American cars that were present, at the time of the embargo, have been preserved through loving care and ingenuity. And since there were many of these, due to the presence of a past strong Cuban middle-class, classic cars have been the standard, rather than an exception in Cuba. Even President Fulgencio Batista’s son owned a 1956 Corvette. Due to the constant good care, many remain in good working order only because Cuban people are able to adapt to a diminishing source of parts to keep the vehicles running. The owners of these “yank tanks” are sitting on a potential “gold mine” that, if the embargo were to be lifted, the Cuban people could make quick cash by selling their cars to people who collect and restore them.
On the other hand, many of these vehicles, especially those in taxi
service, have been converted to accept replacement engines, usually Soviet diesel engines. Fortunately, this is a modification that gives a car a new lease on life. The practical limits of engine longevity, scarcity of replacement parts, and the high cost of fuel in post Cold War
(roughly 75 U.S. cents a liter in the summer of 2002) Cuba have made diesel
power (roughly 15 to 20 U.S. cents) a popular choice for engine replacement, if a suitable gasoline engine couldn’t be acquired.
However, the old American cars on the road today have “relatively high inefficiencies” due in large part to the lack of modern technology. This has resulted in increased fuel consumption as well as aiding to the economic plight of its owners. With these inefficiencies, noticeable drop in travel has occurred from an “average of nearly 3000 km/year in the mid-1980s to less than 800 km/year in 2000–2001”. As the Cuban people try to save as much money as possible, when travelling is done, the cars are usually loaded past the maximum allowable weight and travel on the decaying roads, resulting in even more abuse to the already under maintained vehicles.
The extreme lack of, or scarcity of, parts is directly a result of the Revolution and the embargo. However, there have been talks about easing some of the restriction of the embargo. Former President Clinton has pushed for U.S. citizens be allowed to send up to $300 dollars a month to Cuba and to allow for “direct mail service between Cuba and the United States, suspended in 1963, would now be reestablished.” This would allow for families in the U.S. to send the needed parts (assuming they can be located) to their own families in Cuba, for the necessary repairs.
Currently, it is estimated that there are some 173,000 cars in Cuba, of these it is unknown how many are “yank tanks” and are considered road worthy.
" Homer, Mr.Burns and Smithers are in Cuba. Mr. Burns, in a way to show he is out of his time, notices "the new Packard we've been hearing so much about", although Packard stopped producing cars in 1958.
s) and modern SUVs. The term entered the general vocabulary in Britain
during the Second World War and especially the decade afterwards, when some American servicemen stationed in Britain imported cars from the USA. This happened at a time when American cars reached their largest sizes and most extravagant styling, leading to the term 'Yank Tank' in relation to these cars' bulk and unwieldy size on typically narrow and winding British roads. This difference was especially great because British cars of the 'Austerity Years' in the late 1940s and early 1950s were generally small, low-powered, with low equipment levels and constrained styling in comparison.
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
tank is a slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term referring to American cars, especially large models produced in the 1950s and 1960s as well as SUVs of recent production.
Classic American cars in Cuba
Classic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
s (for example: 1957 Chevrolet
57 Chevy
The 1957 Chevrolet is an automobile which was introduced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors in September, 1956. It was available in three series models: the upscale Bel Air, the mid-range "two-ten", and the "one-fifty". A two-door station wagon, the Nomad was produced as a Bel Air model....
, 1953 Ford, 1958 Dodge
1958 Dodge
The Dodge lineup was refreshed for 1958, continuing the three-line scheme of the 1955 Dodges with the entry-level Coronet, Royal, and ornate Custom Royal. The Regal Lancer was added as a new Top of the line model in spring.-Overview:...
, etc.) present in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
with an estimated 60,000 of them still driving the roads today. In 1962 an embargo was placed on Cuba by the United States, effectively cutting trade between the countries. This meant that the cars in Cuba could no longer receive new replacement parts when something broke. Currently, the only way to keep these cars on the road today is by using Cuban ingenuity to adapt household products and Soviet technology into these vehicles. If a car is unable to be repaired at the time, the car is usually either “parked” for future repair or “parted out” (to produce extra income for the owner’s family) so that other cars can remain on the road. During the years of Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
influence on Cuba, Lada
Lada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
s, Moskvitch
Moskvitch
Moskvitch was an automobile brand from Russia produced by AZLK from 1945 to 1991 and by OAO Moskvitch from 1991 to 2002...
s and Volga
Volga (automobile)
Volga is an automobile brand that originated in the Soviet Union to replace the venerated GAZ-M20 Pobeda in 1956. Modern in design, it became a symbol of higher status in the Soviet nomenklatura...
s became the main cars imported by the communist regime, mainly for state use. As a result of these internal economic restrictions, to this day there is no such thing as a new or used private European or Asian automotive dealership branch in Cuba for independent purchasing by normal Cubans.
The only American cars that can be purchased for private use in Cuba (with "particular" plates) are those that were previously registered for private use and acquired before the revolution. However, if the owner doesn’t have the proper paper work called a “traspaso”, the vehicle cannot be legally sold.
American cars that were present, at the time of the embargo, have been preserved through loving care and ingenuity. And since there were many of these, due to the presence of a past strong Cuban middle-class, classic cars have been the standard, rather than an exception in Cuba. Even President Fulgencio Batista’s son owned a 1956 Corvette. Due to the constant good care, many remain in good working order only because Cuban people are able to adapt to a diminishing source of parts to keep the vehicles running. The owners of these “yank tanks” are sitting on a potential “gold mine” that, if the embargo were to be lifted, the Cuban people could make quick cash by selling their cars to people who collect and restore them.
On the other hand, many of these vehicles, especially those in taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
service, have been converted to accept replacement engines, usually Soviet diesel engines. Fortunately, this is a modification that gives a car a new lease on life. The practical limits of engine longevity, scarcity of replacement parts, and the high cost of fuel in post Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
(roughly 75 U.S. cents a liter in the summer of 2002) Cuba have made diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
power (roughly 15 to 20 U.S. cents) a popular choice for engine replacement, if a suitable gasoline engine couldn’t be acquired.
However, the old American cars on the road today have “relatively high inefficiencies” due in large part to the lack of modern technology. This has resulted in increased fuel consumption as well as aiding to the economic plight of its owners. With these inefficiencies, noticeable drop in travel has occurred from an “average of nearly 3000 km/year in the mid-1980s to less than 800 km/year in 2000–2001”. As the Cuban people try to save as much money as possible, when travelling is done, the cars are usually loaded past the maximum allowable weight and travel on the decaying roads, resulting in even more abuse to the already under maintained vehicles.
The extreme lack of, or scarcity of, parts is directly a result of the Revolution and the embargo. However, there have been talks about easing some of the restriction of the embargo. Former President Clinton has pushed for U.S. citizens be allowed to send up to $300 dollars a month to Cuba and to allow for “direct mail service between Cuba and the United States, suspended in 1963, would now be reestablished.” This would allow for families in the U.S. to send the needed parts (assuming they can be located) to their own families in Cuba, for the necessary repairs.
Currently, it is estimated that there are some 173,000 cars in Cuba, of these it is unknown how many are “yank tanks” and are considered road worthy.
In popular culture
In the Simpsons Episode "The Trouble with TrillionsThe Trouble with Trillions
"The Trouble with Trillions" is the twentieth episode of the ninth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, which originally aired April 5, 1998. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Swinton O. Scott III...
" Homer, Mr.Burns and Smithers are in Cuba. Mr. Burns, in a way to show he is out of his time, notices "the new Packard we've been hearing so much about", although Packard stopped producing cars in 1958.
American Cars in the British Commonwealth
The term "Yank tank" is also used in Australian, Canadian, and British slang to describe these cars, but more generally to describe any American car considered to be large and unwieldy - including both classics (such as CadillacCadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
s) and modern SUVs. The term entered the general vocabulary in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the Second World War and especially the decade afterwards, when some American servicemen stationed in Britain imported cars from the USA. This happened at a time when American cars reached their largest sizes and most extravagant styling, leading to the term 'Yank Tank' in relation to these cars' bulk and unwieldy size on typically narrow and winding British roads. This difference was especially great because British cars of the 'Austerity Years' in the late 1940s and early 1950s were generally small, low-powered, with low equipment levels and constrained styling in comparison.
Further reading
- Brenner, Philip. “Washington Loosens the Knot.” NACLA Report on the Americas 32 (1999): 41-48.
- Enoch, Marcus, et al. “The Effect of Economic Restrictions on Transport Practices in Cuba.” Transport Policy 11 (2004): 67-76.
- LeoGrande, William M. “A Politics-Driven Policy.” NACLA Report on the Americas 34 (2000): 35.
- Ross, John F. “viva vintage.” SMITHSONIAN 32 (2001): 62.
- Warren, James P., Enoch, Marcus P. “Mobility, energy, and emissions in Cuba and Florida.” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 11 (2006): 33-44.