Uruguay's Antique Car Heaven

by Sandra Scott

A funny thing happened on the way to the Drugstore. We met Bonnie and Clyde. Well, they weren't really Bonnie and Clyde but then it wasn't really a drugstore! We were in Colonia, Uruguay, the country's most ambient and well-preserved colonial city. While wandering the historic district we were not surprised by the cobbled streets and the buildings dating from the late 1600s. After all, the Barrio Historico has been designated a site of cultural importance by UNESCO.

However when my husband and I rounded the corner we were surprised to see a 1930s Citeron sprouting trees. But more intriguing was the 1920s Model T in front of it. On closer inspection we found Joakim Liljedahl and Susanna Sender of Sweden sitting at a table inside the car sharing a bottle of wine. My husband, quipped, "We found Bonnie and Clyde." "Bonnie" said, "Is this the coolest! It is our very own "dining car." The cars are permanent fixtures on the side street next to the El Drugstore Restaurant.

In front of El Drugstore, which we have to assume was once a drugstore, is a yellow 1950s Morris. We asked Luisa, the manager, "What's with the old cars?"

She explained, "In the 1950s times were good in Uruguay and people bought many cars. When the times were not so good, they took care of their cars. Many of these old cars are still running. The Citeron doesn't have a motor but the Model T and Morris do. Now people enjoy fixing up the cars."

It was time for lunch, the table in the Model T Ford was taken, so my husband and I sat at a table next to the Morris in the shade of the eucalyptus trees. If the cars were nostalgic so was sipping wine and listening to the singer croon some Frank Sinatra favorites and one of my personal favorites, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

During the next ten days in Uruguay we marveled at the vintage cars and trucks keeping pace with modern vehicles. Some were restored to their pristine state. Others looked like they had been maintained but had been in continuous service for the last 70 years. The driveways of many of the homes had a vintage car parked next to a new Honda.

On the road paralleling the long beach of Punta del Este we stopped to admire a car that was all dolled up with live "dolls." Restored cars are excellent attention getters and a great way to snag would be condo buyers. Others are used to give tourists a ride.

"Do you think the Uruguayans know the gold mine they have in vintage cars?" my husband pondered. Probably not, but I wonder if American antique car-lovers know the treasure trove that exists here in Uruguay — a heaven for antique cars.