CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: A 1959 Buick might bring back memories of the past for some people, but in Cuba it raised hopes of a better future. Our Havana bureau chief, Lucia Newman, has more.</s>LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): As the neighbors applauded in solidarity, Marcial Basante and his family returned home the same way they'd left -- in an old American-made car, only this time it wasn't floating. Their dreams of reaching U.S. shores in an old '50s car converted into an amphibious vessel had been shattered for the second time. Basante is brokenhearted. "I always thought that since we'd first tried to go in a truck, and then we tried a second time, and because we'll probably have problems now in Cuba, I was sure the U.S. government would support us," says Basante. He was wrong. The U.S. Coast Guard repatriated eight of the 11 passengers in the '59 Buick to Cuba this week. Only the leader of the group and his family were sent to the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo to be considered for political refugee status. Basante is glad for his friend. "At least he made it out of here," he says. His own future, though, looks bleak. Basante sold everything to make the crossing, except his '52 Ford truck, and even that the police tried to confiscate a few hours before he got home as the neighbors protested. "I told them they needed a court order," says a friend. "Just then the press arrived, and the police left to avoid a scandal." Basante says his trucking days across the Florida Straits are over, that it's impossible not to be intercepted. (on camera): That's why, as a last resort, he plans to appeal to the U.S. Diplomatic Mission here in Havana in the hopes that this time they'll give him a chance to immigrate legally to the United States -- something he knows won't be easy. Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.
Cubans Seed Freedom in 1959 Buick