Among the many attractions of Cuba, the vintage cars that still circulate today through its colorful streets, have a special place. Every possible part of most of the cars that have been in traffic since the 1950s or even 1940s, have been replaced in order to continue providing the service. It is not uncommon to meet great American classics from the Cadillac, Packard or Buick brands modified by parts from various other brands. This kind of "time travel" is very popular among the tourists in Havana. However, the authorities have not been concerned with preserving this heritage, despite the tourist possibilities it entails.

The old car museum, which was established to make up for this gap to some extent, looked more like a reservoir. Until the end of the first quarter of 2015, the old car museum was located on Oficios street where the Masjid is located today. Later, it was moved adjacent to the Mercado de Artesanos de Almacenes San José on Avenida del Puerto. In November 2019, the old car museum was reconfigured and reopened as Museo del Automóvil (El Garaje) in the picturesque historical center of Havana to mark the Habana 500 Anniversary celebrations. The restoration of the museum was sponsored by the Saudi Fund for Development in collaboration with Oficina del Historiador Ciudad de la Habana. However, it took until early 2024 for the museum to begin displaying its entire motor vehicle collection.

The museum consists of a small, renovated building in colonial style, made up of two large warehouses. In the bigger warehouse, a varied selection of classic cars from all eras were parked between tall cast iron columns on which the year of manufacture of the cars was written. However, the number of cars in the museum, which initially had about 50 different models of cars, motorcycles and gasoline pumps, gradually decreased, as some cars with historical characteristics were exhibited in other places, such as the Cadillac used by Ernesto Che Guevara when he was living in Havana. Another reason is the frequent relocation of the museum in a short time. Today, less than 30 cars parked inside, dating mostly from the first half of the twentieth century, are on display.

When the museum was at its peak, its jewels was the 1926 model Rolls-Royce Phantom I Tourer by Letourneur et Marchand with a luxurious French bodywork, Unfortunately, it is not on the display currently; it is said that it is in the US for a through restoration, as the cars in the museum are maintained to prevent damage but are not restored. Other notable cars that are not on the display now, are a 1924 Dodge hearse by the Williams Carriage, Hearse & Auto Company of St. Louis, and a 1931 Cadillac V-16 Style 4275-C Imperial Landaulet with division window, one of two produced, owned by Alfredo Zayas, the former president of Cuba.

The museum has two floors. While cars, gasoline pumps and traffic lights are exhibited on the first floor, motorcycles and a jet ski are exhibited on the upper floor. There is also a rich collection of miniature cars on the upper floor. The lower floor consists of two separate exhibition areas with a slight slope and a difference in level. The cars in the museum are listed according to their production dates. There are signs detailing the technical features of each car. If that car has a historical feature, these are also included on the sign.

A poster on the wall informs us the first cars that entered Cuba. La Parisienne is the first car introduced in Cuba by José Muñoz in 1898. With wick lanterns and gasoline as fuel, it reached a top speed of 12 km/h with a power of two horsepower. The second one is a Rochet and Schneider, built in Lyon and brought by the known businessman Ernesto Sarrá; it reached a speed of 30 km per hour and had eight horsepower.

The 1905 model Cadillac is the oldest car in the collection. In addition to this, the museum features many cars of particular interest. These include a 1925 Rolls Royce (Model Phantom I); a 1959 Oldsmobile (Model 98) that belonged to Camilo Cienfuegos; a 1960 Oldsmobile (Model Super 88), owned by the revolutionary Celia Sánchez Manduley; a 2011 Peugeot with bulletproof glass cabins used during the visit of Pope Francis (Benedict XVI) to Cuba in 2015 (Model Hoggar); a fully restored 1949 Desoto Custom Convertible Coupe made in 1949, donated by Dr. Eusebio Leal, the City Historian who received it as a gift from a wealthy US citizen, the Chicago collector Richard H. Driehaus for his initiating and leading the city's restoration efforts; a recreated 1915 Mack "Bulldog"; a handcrafted 1909 Ford Roadster, which was built by a Cuban craftsman in the 1940s for recreational use; Fords (Model T) made in 1914 and 1918; and Fords (Model A) made in 1928 and 1931. However, the most questioned reason for its presence in the museum is the 1957 Maserati displayed upright in the air. The interesting story about this is given on the side.

Among the many Harley-Davidson motor bikes, the most interesting vehicle on the top floor is the 1977 Ducati 900SS DESMO motor bike, owned by Fidel Castro. A notable piece among the miniature car collection is the scale model of the Maserati 450 S GP with which Juan Manuel Fangio never competed in the Second Cuban Grand Prix, in 1958.

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