Gas Monkey Garage

In a country where the economy is a disaster, it's very hard to think of a future where money isn't a problem. The odds of that happening are very low. So, it’s time to change locations or increase those odds.

Still... who hasn’t dreamed, or dreams about what they would do if they won the lottery, or if their next venture takes off? No? I have.

These days, I’m just weeks away from graduating as a doctor, and for some time now, I’ve been working as a physician. It’s a profession I adore, but of course, it’s not what I would dedicate my whole life to. If money were never a concern again, the story would be very different.

Since I was a child, I’ve grown up around cars, parts, and supplies.

My dad is what you would call a handyman when it comes to mechanics, and when he has free time, you’ll always find him working on the cars nearby (regardless of whether they belong to him).

And that’s where this dream was born.

Or was it because of Discovery Channel?

My dad passed down his love for cars and everything related to these engineering marvels.

As I mentioned, he has always repaired cars, but he never had his own garage or project. In fact, he has never had a dedicated space for it. It has always been in friends' garages or out on the street. He says that when a car needs care, it doesn’t understand locations.

When I was a child, I was his helper, and as I grew older, I took on more responsibilities (and learned a bit more)

Back in those years, there was a pretty famous show on Discovery Channel: Gas Monkey Garage .

It was about two friends: Richard (the businessman) and Aaron (the mechanic ) who started a small garage and scaled it into an empire. For years, I loved this show.

In Gas Monkey, they showed very little about mechanics, but the entire process from when the car is bought until it is sold to a buyer or at auction.

I would spend hours watching the show and dreaming of being able to revive that experience. I loved to think that in the future, maybe my dad and I could do something together.

In Cuba, Discovery Channel isn’t available, so we had to watch it through pirated means (but that’s another post)

It’s impossible not to want to recreate Gas Monkey. The cars were genuine junk, and they transformed them into wonderful collector’s items. What car enthusiast wouldn’t want to achieve that?

If I had financial security, I could spend hours renovating the famous “almendrones.”

Something that is never the same. Each car has its soul, its personality, its own story to tell.

Bringing old (classic) cars back to life is a challenge I would take on for years. Taking them to auctions, enjoying the company of other restorers and mechanics with their creations. That’s an image I would love.

Living the process of buying a car, with its history, its years, its flaws.

Then comes its remodeling.

Seeing how the project takes shape and the car stops being rust and starts to look like what you imagine.

And finally, after many hours, bringing it back to life. So it can continue creating history.

This is not just a simple dream.

Years ago (of course, before Covid and Trump), my dad and I were able to restore a Lada 2107.

Lada 2107s are some of the most famous cars in Cuba. A legacy of the Cuban-Soviet relationship in the 90s. These were the luxury cars on the island.

My dad dedicated hours to that car (many hours to be counted)

Some parts had to be sourced from Russia due to unavailability in Cuba. The lack of proper tools for certain jobs also held us back, and yes, there were some other problems that I now forget.

But we did it. The 2107 came back to life, and of course, we made some profit from its sale.

It was an unforgettable time, and from there came the idea of having our own garage.

So, without thinking too much, having our own garage would be what I would do if I didn’t need to work. But life takes many turns; who knows if by the time I approach my retirement years, it could become a reality.

Without a doubt, answering the question of this #weekend-engagement, I would do something related to cars.

A love I inherited from my father and a love I believe I will never stop feeling, even as cars become more computers than cars.

Maybe this isn’t the most relaxing “retirement” plan you’ll read. Maybe traveling the world in 80 days is something more exciting and exotic, but no, this time it’s not for me.

I’d love to read your comments.

Read you soon!

[dahpilot]