The Cadillac of Coro

If there is one country where classic car enthusiasts can make new discoveries around almost every corner, it has to be Venezuela. Admittedly, most of the cars you come across could hardly be described as collector's items. They are simply their owners' everyday means of transport, and many are in a pretty sorry state. Nevertheless, quite a few have survived remarkably well, and it is not unusual to stumble across one that has been beautifully restored. Under such circumstances, leaving your camera at home is simply not an option. You never know when something interesting might turn up.

That particular weekend, we had been staying in Morrocoy, one of those idyllic Caribbean destinations with coral-white beaches and tiny offshore islands, where the crystal-clear water is so transparent that you can watch fish swimming around your feet. We decided to take a day trip to Punto Fijo and Coro.

Punto Fijo's main attraction is its duty-free status, which draws Venezuelans looking to buy electrical goods and other imported products. The town lies at the tip of the small Paraguaná Peninsula, which is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, barely wider than the road in some places.

One of the main reasons for heading out to Paraguaná, however, is to stop at the Médanos de Coro. This natural park encompasses the isthmus, with its beaches and mangroves, as well as the sand dunes – or médanos – that give the park its name.

There are stretches of dunes, some 500 metres across, where the sand seems intent on swallowing up the road. But once you manage to climb to the top, the landscape changes completely. The sand stretches all the way to the horizon, giving you the impression of standing on the edge of the vast Sahara Desert.

The city of Coro has a rich history. It was the first lasting Spanish-era settlement in Venezuela and the starting point for the colonisation of much of the country. Curiously enough, it was not the Spanish who first set about colonising the territory, but German settlers, who were granted the right to explore and govern it by the Spanish Crown in return for settling outstanding debts. Some twenty years later, when the Spanish realised that the arrangement was working rather too well – and that the settlers were still speaking German – they revoked the agreement, and Neu Augsburg once again became Santa Ana de Coro.

Today, the historic centre still retains its original grid layout, with cobbled streets, adobe mansions and churches dating back to colonial times. It makes an ideal setting for discovering classic cars.

In Venezuela, you see so many 1970s Fords, Chevrolets, Dodges and the like that you eventually stop paying much attention to them. But coming across a 1954 Cadillac Series 62 parked outside a supermarket is something else altogether. It was a four-door saloon, not quite as glamorous as an Eldorado coupé or convertible, perhaps, but still an imposing sight at almost six metres long.

The pool of oil beneath the engine might have belonged to this Cadillac, or equally to any of its neighbours. The car appeared to be complete and, despite its badly cracked paintwork, I would say it was still running. Both the windows and the bodywork looked surprisingly clean.

This particular series was not among the most extravagant Cadillacs ever built. Even so, with its generous helping of chrome and tail fins that were already beginning to resemble the rear end of a spacecraft, it remained an elegant and well-proportioned car.

Who knows? Perhaps it can still be spotted cruising across the Médanos de Coro.

Ypu may also read this post in Catalan and Spanish

You may also read this post in Catalan and Spanish