TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Cuba provides a nice glimpse into unintended consequences of government regulation:

But the tight grip on imports means cars will remain scarce and command eye-popping prices, whatever their condition, economists and car brokers say.

“A car that in another country you’d pay to destroy, you can sell here for $14,000,” said Paul Gómez Valladares, a mechanic who was fixing the bushings on a 1996 Lada Combi in a workshop shaded by mango trees.

The only Cubans allowed to purchase new cars are ones who earn foreign currency—doctors, artists musicians, and members of airline flight crews.