The streets of Cuba are teeming with 60,000 classic American cars, and it's an iconic experience for the island's visitors.

A majority of tourists can tell a story about riding down the Malecon in a hot pink Chevy Bel-Air, or driving through Havana city center in a baby blue Cadillac.

But how did these classic cars get there?

And more importantly, why did they stay?

In the 1940s and 1950s, Cuba had a strong urban middle class, and this class had a passion for American cars.

Cuba imported over 125,000 American cars, and at one point, Havana was considered the Cadillac capital of the world.

Shortly after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, a ban was placed on imported cars and car parts.

American tourism to Cuba came to a halt, and 1.4 million Cubans left the country, leaving behind their families, homes, and cars.

These abandoned cars were passed on to family or friends and became prized possessions, with owners who are willing to do whatever it takes to keep them on the road.

Cubans turned to their ingenuity. Parts from tractors or lawnmowers became makeshift engines, and shampoo turned into brake fluid.

The cars are a symbol of hard work, but there are also a source of income.

A Cuban driver can make more in an hour than a Cuban doctor makes in a month.

Our producer, who visited her Cuban family in May 2018, saw the links families were willing to take to keep their cars running.

Being a driver in Cuba is a career path.

That's one of the few career paths, um, that allows you to kind of make your own money, and not depend solely on the government providing it for you.

So it is a very lucrative business.

It is also a huge investment.

It was definitely not what I envisioned when I was scrolling through Instagram, trying to get inspiration and travel photo ideas.

It just gave me a better appreciation of the ingenuity involved and the determination involved.

I definitely suggest, you know, getting that experience and driving in the classic cars.

But I think it's super important to remember that your photo op is their way of life.

For tourists, It's not just a way to get from point A to point B.

Riding in a classic car is an experience, and an hour long ride can cost anywhere from $25 to $40.

Graham Flanagan, another one of our producers, traveled to Cuba in 2015.

I knew that there were gonna be a lot of beautiful classic cars, but I thought there would be kind of mixed into a bunch of regular modern cars.

I was blown away by just how many of these cars there are.

It's just one of the most unique and colorful characteristics of the city.

I would absolutely recommend that if you're going to Cuba, you need to hop in one of these cars and go for a ride and explore the city.

Explore the city of Havana, get off the beaten path.

I can still smell that unforgettable smell of all of that fuel exhaust walking the streets of Havana.