Cheap Gas Keeps Muscle Cars Roaring in Venezuela

Monday, 13 December 2010 | by Pat's Picks

When’s the last time you saw a 1976 Dodge Coronet cruising the streets of Manhattan? Exactly. It may be hard to afford a gas guzzler in the US but in Venezuela it’s no problem says the New York Times. Because gas is plentiful and cheap—about 10 cents a gallon—“filling the tank of a 1974 Lincoln Continental, a 19-foot-long monster with a V-8 engine and mileage in the low teens, costs about $1, including a small tip for the gas-station attendant.”

The Times says the gas subsidy that allows prices to remain so low is considered a “birthright” by Venezuelans and despite the fact that it costs the government close to $9 billion a year, President Hugo Chavez won’t touch for fear of the reaction.