Fabian Zakharov from Florida helps Cubans repair Russian cars

In the suburb of Miami, near the Fabian Zakharov auto show, there are often hits from the Russian car industry. Photo of Katerina Panova

The large inscription “Lada” and the pictures to the painfully familiar domestic cars are very different from the rest of the windows on the street in the suburb of Miami.

This is a salon of auto parts for Ladas, Muscovites and other hits of the Russian automobile industry, which holds Fabian Zakharov. Inside, everything is neatly laid out in its place, clearly labeled and shiny. Usually you can hear Spanish spoken here, but then two Russians come in. Fabian switches to Russian and helps them choose the ignition switch, seals, steering wheel and window film. The total comes out to about $100. Alexander and his friend are Fabian’s regular clients. They bought a VAZ-2106 in Canada for $1000, and with the help of Fabian's salon they are restoring the nostalgia car. And they plan to use it as an advertisement for their car rental service.

Inside the Zakharov Auto Parts car dealership. Photo by Katerina Panova

However, the bulk of Fabian's clients are Cubans, and they come to satisfy more pressing needs. On the island, since the time of friendship of peoples, basically everyone drives Soviet cars, but spare parts are a problem. If something breaks, you have to find American relatives and ask, if possible, to fix the windshield on the plane, for example.

Five years ago, Fabian's parents needed a spare part for the “Zhiguli”. Fabian went to the store in Miami, but it was not available. After waiting three months, he asked friends in Moscow to send it by mail. The package arrived in two weeks.

And then Fabian realized that he should do this as a business. The first batch brought by him was bought up with lightning speed.

The demand for Zakharov's services is really great. For 98% of the Cuban population, a Lada or Moskvich is the only car they can afford. Now there are about 200 cars on the island, brought here during the Soviet Union.

Until recently, the Cuban government even prohibited the sale of cars from hand to hand - you could only buy them from the state. A new “foreign car” is not at all an affordable luxury, given the average salary of about $20 per month. “It’s almost unrealistic - a regular Peugeot [in Cuba] can cost $100 - $000. Because of this, people began to repair existing cars. And our business took off. In 250, journalists began to appear, television, magazines around the world began to write about us. And calls from buyers from various cities around the globe began,” says Zakharov.

Fabian's salon is not in Cuba, but in Miami, because exactly one and a half to two million Cubans live here. It is they who buy the parts and transport them there themselves, bypassing all trade and diplomatic difficulties between America and Cuba.

“Charter planes have always flown between America and Cuba. And people could take a large TV on board, or a hood or a wing. That is, people carried it themselves in their luggage. There is nothing illegal. The sale takes place in America, taxes have been paid. And then it’s a personal matter for everyone, where to put the windshield or torpedo,” explains Fabian, half Cuban, half Russian, all the nuances.

Recently, Zakharov nevertheless began offering customers and delivery through third countries in order to bypass the embargo.

In America itself, on Soviet cars never really went. However, there are always lovers of nostalgia: according to Fabian’s calculations, at least a hundred “Lada” and “Muscovites” drive on American roads. And their owners are also his clients. One of his favorites is an old car restorer.

The wall of honor in the atosalon is located next to the windshields. Photo of Katerina Panova

Fabian himself has a 1983 Muscovite (or, as the Cubans say, a Muscovite) and a 1980 Zhiguli Treshka. The owner of the salon also had a “seven”, but he sold it for $10 to an elderly American, the owner of a radio station. My wife begged for it, impressed by the Soviet automobile industry after a trip to Cuba. Interestingly, the car cost Fabian $000 in Russia, with another $4 in taxes. Total - net profit of $000.

But in general, Zakharov rarely delivers cars, and only on order. And he's in no hurry to sell. He is in no hurry at all, like a true Cuban. “I can wait ten years, I’m in no hurry. Someday someone will definitely buy it. People buy because of nostalgia. And the auto parts themselves are selling out very quickly. That is, the container is sold out on average in three months,” explains Zakharov.

“Zhiguli” and “Muscovites” are not equipped with air conditioning, however, this does not bother buyers at all. “You can drive around Florida with the window open,” explains the owner of the car dealership, and this clearly expresses his Russian mentality.

Russian manufacturers do nothing to promote business, Fabian complains. “But, most likely, the [Russian] government is aware,” he suspects. According to the owner of the car dealership, he once began negotiations on the status of the Lada Image representative office, but in return he was asked for too large volumes of purchases, and he refused.

But Fabian is not discouraged. “It’s always interesting to see when new clients come: they have genuine childish delight. They are glad that such parts and spare parts still exist in nature and can be bought,” he says.

The bright orange Lada is very different from other cars in Miami. Photo by Katerina Panova.

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