A Far Too Brief History of Checker Motors
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- We probably all know that iconic Checker Taxi with it's boxy body and quad headlights.
But have you ever stopped to think about where it came from? Who built it?
This is a far too brief history of Checker Motors!
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I worked at Checker Motors from February 1977 to December 2008. In the Summer of 1982, I was an assembler on the cab line. I took part in the assembly of the green and ivory "last car" featured in your video. My group put the front clip on. That car is a museum piece today not too far from Kalamazoo.
Awesome, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
What museum?
@@dougaustin6408 The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan
Amazing story. Thanks for sharing.
@@OneLastHitB4IGo Nope, not now. All of the building that were Checker Motors are long gone. The land was sold, and new industry has been built. The only existing evidence of Checker Motors is portions of the original test track.
I daily drive one of the last. They are durable, drive very well, are easy to maintain, and it is obvious that people built it as opposed to machine. People do stop you anywhere they see you and the car to ask about it, because even without the taxi connection they draw attention. Even today, you don't drive these cars for yourself, you drive them for other people. It's nice to see a detailed, concise film about the company and a little of their legacy.
Love em and you can get filters for them.
@@denniscarver7681in GTA games, they're damn durable
Checkers are built like TANKS! Best cab rides ever in Boston in the 80's! Get in cab one day and pass in front of BSO and there's a line of traffic at light...cabbie says "Hold ON!" guns it into oncoming lane passes everyone cuts in front of line! Hahaha...a Mercedes 450 SEL decides he's going to do the same and cuts off my cab! The driver turns around says Hold on again, put's it in reverse, rams it in drive and slams into trunk of Benz! Folds the Benz trunk down to the ground and the yuppie just looks back open mouthed and cabbie just curses and says "You won't F-in cut me off again will ya!" and peels off! I was rolling in the back laughing so hard I couldn't speak. When he dropped me off I gave him every penny I had and thanked him for the most hilarious ride I've ever had! !!!!! True Story! The front bumper had a few dings and some black paint that's all! LMFAO
Hahaha! Oh my! Thanks for sharing the memory!!
🤣 🤣 truth funnier than fiction, you couldn't make it up 🤣
@@tonyinit8488 Plus there was lots of room in the back for cargo/people. The fold down jumper seats were great to put ladies on with short dresses. *wink wink* and the car was so heavy it soaked up a lot of the bad MA potholes!
We had em in Omaha. Ran 250 Chevy 6's on propane. T400 . Ran forever. Cool cars/ tanks.
Several years ago I saw a "civilian" Checker being serviced on a lift. Remember its impressive frame.
I am 57 and had been in them a bunch of times when I was a kid in the 70’s and remember how incredibly roomy the back seat was and how there was a fold up seat on the back of the front seat, and kids could sit in that little seat while adults sat in the regular seats and there was still plenty of room. I wish I had one!
It's called a jump seat.
Yes... and a flat floor in back. No tunnel for the drive shaft!
You took the wind right out of my sails.... I was going to say the very same thing.... they rode well, they had huge room for the back passenger area.... they really were built to a "commercial" standard which to me was an excellent business model... sadly they became obsolete because faster, lighter, and better looking cars were built by GM and Ford...
But why didn't they support homosexual special rights ?
I'd speculate the forshadow of Trump loosing confidence of his percieved nigbombs led to further demise.
You can buy one for about $23k.
My brother in the 80's owned a 1963 white Checker. He loved that car. The jump seat in the back was removed, which left a ridiculous amount of legroom. My sister and I rolled her son's baby carriage in the back and we three went to the drive-in to watch the Blues Brothers.
My family bought a Checker Marathon straight from the factory in 1970. Four doors, AM radio, bench seats and two jump seats. My mother hauled herds of school kids, farm animals and furniture all over Central Penna. I learned to drive in that wonderful lumbering beast of a vehicle. Yes -- gas mileage sucked. But it drove where it drove and other vehicles got out of its way. Loved it. Miss it. But eventually one could see the road through the floorboards.
I drove one for Checker Cab in London Ont. Canada in 1971. Loved it. Many times at the train station passengers would walk by the regular cabs in front of me and jump in my cab because they liked the leg room in a checker better. Cheers 🇨🇦
Thanks for the memories!
@All Cars with Jon It's kind of interesting that Narmco bought some of the checker stuff. They're headquartered in Windsor Ontario, Checker Industrial Ltd (also in Windsor). has an old Checker, it's usually parked out front in the Summer.
Yes, the leg room was much better and the cab was easy to get into. I lived in Manhattan during Checker time and was disapointed when the car discontinued. Today's taxi's are uncomfortable. And, those London/UK cabs, though big, were very difficult to get in and sit in the backseat because of the low roof where you had to stoop to get to the seat.
As a cabbie in 1972, I drove a checker for Yellow Cab in Pensacola, FL. You're not missing much. Heavy, slow, creaky, mushy suspension, and LOTS of play in the steering wheel. The seats were still comfortable for passengers, though.
For the murderous MA potholes the big heavy frames helped soak up the abuse dealt to the passengers backsides!
@@PBFoote-mo2zr Poorly maintained, but clean and not clunkers.
Did you ever manufacture a device from a typewriter and attach it to a 🔫so you could look into a mirror and say "Are you talking to me"?
@@BatCaveOz Haha! No.
I did consider "carrying," though. Picked up a lot of released prisoners outside the jail at night.
@@BatCaveOz thats funny , classic 😂😂😂😂😂
Had a '68 Checker Marathon wagon, original with a 283 Chevy motor, Ford cast iron auto transmission, Chrysler style electronic ignition, MOOG front steering and suspension and Dana rear axle. Front end had 12 grease fittings and rear had 2.
Really was a very durable tank.
Loved it.
Thanks for the memories... what a hodge-podge. :)
That was a Borg Warner transmission, which some Ford transmissions were based on. Checker upper control arms were 1955 Ford.
@@AllCarswithJon AMC was very similar!
0 rust protection
Through the 1980's, Marathons were not an unusual car to see in Mid Michigan. I suspect they had an extra capable dealer in the area.
Ive thought about those checker cabs.. because they were everywhere on tv, and they used that same 50s body style for so many years . I think we should still be keeping old automobile models alive.. especially ones like the original beetle, and other timeless models
I want to agree.
I had a grey one back in '80s it was my 2nd car ever had a 3 on the tree and a strait 6, used to pile all my friends in and go off roading the underneath of it looked like under a big truck. It was cooooool!!!
@@autojohn-pu1vf thats awesome buddy☮️👍
I wonder how many old Checkers are in Cuba?
Yeah, let’s keep the old cars alive.
Be the first to put up $100,000 to keep the junk alive. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
My parents owned two Marathons a 1962 and a 1972. A back seat floor area nearly the size of a queen bed sure came in handy during my high school dating years! I also learned to drive in the '62, which had jump seats in the back. They were great cars and my Mom & Dad loved them.
Great video. I have a soft spot for Checkers. Having grown up in Boston without a family car, I've spent many hours in Checker cabs. And in the early 70's, I worked at a Checker dealer in Brookline, Massachusetts, first in the parts department, then for sales as a car jockey and new car prep.
I recall that towards the end, Checker was working with GM to repurpose the new FWD cars (I think they were called X cars), but that never went anywhere.
Thanks for the memories.
Thanks for the memories. I've got a 2nd video on Checkers failed attempts to replace their cab, and yes one of their schemes was to take the new X-cars and modify them. Check that video out, it's pretty cool stories (I think)
There was also a project going on where a ex-GM executive had taken an executive position with Checker and they were working on a front drive cab using VW mechanicals. Unfortunately the GM executive was killed in an airplane crash so Checker didn't get a new design. I personally think they should of tied up with Studebaker-Packard n the mid 50s and used the Checker cab as a base platform for Packards rather then the Studebaker bodied Packabakers. Packard could of brought their torsion bar suspension to the mix and offered Checker Packard or Studebaker V-8 engines for up market cars such as limousines, Ambulance/Hearse variations, other professional cars and police cars. With some creative design and engineering they could of made a large car that was different enough from the Checker and the Studebaker to give Packard a unique identity at a reasonable cost while giving Checker a larger economy of scale and possibly better access to a dealer network and commonality for parts. Heck Studebaker was the importer of Mercedes Benz automobiles in the US, diesel powertrains may of been a possibility as well as possibly smaller Checkers based on Studebaker products.
@@AllCarswithJon I saw the thumbnail and it looks like a stretch Chevy Citation! I have been curious about the attempts by Checker to continue with newer models so I thank you for making that video and this video I’m watching now.
Thank you for this well written and well presented history of the Checker.
I drove Checker Marathons in the 1970s working for the local Taxi company. I found them to be excellent cars with good handling and one of the most comfortable cars to drive. I often dreamed of buying one for myself, but when one was "retired" by the Company it was pretty well used up.
@@thomasmeek9131 I have a soft spot in my heart for the Checker Marathon, especially the station wagon.
I carried groceries out to the Markins personal dark brown Checker sedan from the Kramers Foodland grocery store I worked at in high school. They didn't want or need assistance with their groceries, but being a car guy I needed an excuse to check out their big beautiful Checker. It was a stretched version with more back seat area, sort of like a short limo.
Cool.
I remember riding in Checker cabs around NYC with my dad in the 1970s and 1980s I remember this because he had a preference for them and would comment about it being a Checker. I think I even rode in some where there were some seats facing backwards so passengers could face each other but I'm fuzzier about that.
I, too, remember riding in Checker cabs in NYC, first in the 50's when my folks would visit the city, later into the 60's, 70's and 80's when I'd go there on my own. I remember, as well, always wanting to sit in one of the jump seats and being disappointed when my folks insisted I sit on the big bench with them. And being impressed by the seemingly vast amount of space in the back -- far bigger than the back of my dad's Kaiser [1]. Can't ever remember riding in one in my home town of Boston, though I probably did. I was fascinated to learn here that Checker was once a part of the storied A-C-D group -- was there ever a Checker 810 or SJ in the offing? lol And -- wasn't William F. Buckley a long-time and enthusiastic owner of a "civilian" Checker? Thanks for a wonderful video!
l know that some models had pop up seats in the back. IIRC, they faced mostly front, but at a slight angle.
@@Pauley_in_GP I remember those jump seats, they sort of folded down when not in use
@@Pauley_in_GP taxi models. Had the seats, pop up
Checker Marathon cars are awesome. Love those things. Too bad they all disappeared overnight. Gone man, just gone.
I took auto body painting and repair in 87-88 in Northern Virginia. The school had the Checker cab that Mr. T drove in DC Cab which never won enough votes to get restored as the 69 Z-28 the instructor had did. That Z looked like it was made of glass but got sanded down with the repair panels cut out so it could be restored again. I've always wondered what happened to that Checker especially after learning about Mr T's personal life and what he stood for.
What did he stand for?
@@SuperNoticer Pittying fools
My buddy from Minneapolis brought his Checker to Mexico, years ago. We rode all over Mexico in that thing. We had a ball.
And we got quite a few wide eyed looks from the locals. Later that year we drove from Minnie to Maine with that Checker , towing a boat.
We made it to Sturbridge ,Massachusetts when we had a flat. Fixed the tire and cruised in style to Maine. Very reliable car. Fun
Last I saw that car , it was in an Elsworth ,Maine, used car lot.
Best rear leg room of any car - period. I remember seeing one entered in a demolition derby. It easily destroyed all of the competition and was still fully functional when it drove out of the ring.
Hi Jon, I am 63 years old and have been a automobile mechanic most of my life. I did however work on a few Checker(s), they where basically an old Chevrolet pickup truck with a early 1950s body, with a Chevrolet steering column, engine and transmission. If you want to drive a Checker, just drive a 1969 Chevrolet Suburban. Please reply. Dave...
I drove a hack in DC for years and you saw few Checkers. And they were during the 60's. We had them at Ft Knox too. Now, Uber drivers aren't even registered & the taxi industry is pretty much gone. Thanks for posting
When I was a kid in the 60s a cab was a Checker. Period. End of story. I always wondered why cabs were these old, 1950s cars. I was surprised to learn they still made them new looking like THAT! It was strange when other cars appeared painted yellow with taxi signs on the roof.
Same here, it was unusual to see a cab that wasn't a Checker when I was a kid.
I drove these in 1978 LA as a cab driver. The Checkers I drove were imported from Chicago. Solid big heavy cars, lot of work to drive, they were so uncomfortable to drive that it was actually fun. They were certainly not fast. 10 MPG (fuel guage not working). Had the "bullet proof" divider. The cars I drove were old with 1/2 a million plus miles (no way to know for sure) but they did the job. They were being replaced and gone by late 79 as fleet cars (in Los Angeles). I drove a bunch of different cabs until 1987 and I don't really remember much of any of them except the Checkers.
I'll never forget driving them and that's why the chance thumbnail got me here.
Video is well done.
My dad bought a checker in 1967 we still have the car and use it regularly just drove it yesterday and still love driving it
I rarely have used cabs in the US, but when I did, the Checker was my favorite “back in the day”, because they were so easy to get in and out of. These days, the minivans are my favorites.
And I’m finding that the older I get, the more I value the ingress/egress ease. (Some of those Asian cabs I can hardly fit in!)
What a great video. Thank you so much for all your hard work on this. There used to be a cab company in my hometown that had a Checker cab. Believe it or not, I actually saw one of the civilian wagons at a car show a few years ago👍
Very cool! I really only knew of them as the boring 'cab' design.
I had a '65 Marathon with the Chevy 230 six. I consistently got 20 mpg. Enjoyed the car, but the tiny non-powered drum brakes were undersized and required a heavy foot to stop. Regardless, it was a nice car to tool around in and had enough power to drive with freeway traffic as well, as long as yu allowed for stopping distance.
Thanks for sharing!
My best friend's mom owned a grey civilian spec 1978 Checker Marathon, when the HOA got on them about it sitting around, I had to help them sell it. A guy offered the day after listing it to come down and buy it for more than asking price (I think it was $1k when I asked $800). Keep in mind this thing had a rough life, lots of rust and it did run, but basically needed to be completely gone through. It turns out he restores cars and rents them out to film studios. I'm glad it went to a good home, and I hope to maybe see it at some point on TV or in the movies.
This is a nice video of a car built for longevity. This sounds like my 1981 Mercedes Benz W123 240d diesel. It is the Checker Taxi of Europe.
As a young man in the 80’s growing up in NY, i had a neighbor that had an absolutely pristine Checker Marathon. It was maroon with a black vinyl top. It was a private cab driven by a little old lady in her late 60’s, early 70’s. We felt something special when we got a lift from that cab compared to other NY cabs.
Theres also a guy out here in Arizona that has 3. Ones a short wheelbase limo. Very cool cars.
This past summer I was following one of the Checker Airport Limousines down a country road in Michigan. It seemed fully loaded - I could count eight passengers and driver. Nicely restored car. A nice way to take ALL your friends on a Saturday afternoon ride.
Very cool!
Amazing story, brings back a lot of memories. Thank you putting this piece together.
My family and I rode in a checker cab for the first time in 1970 from the old Pittsburgh international Airport to our new home in the North Hills suburb of the city. All 6 of us piled in! I ended up sitting on one of two of the fold-out seats in the back (like bar stools). I was small (8 yrs old) so it wasn't uncomfortable at all. I remember the 45 minute cab ride was at night but very smooth, I enjoyed it. A great Checker Cab memory. Great video, I learned a lot!
I remember Checker cabs and rode in them when I was young. The Checker car I rode in was a a boxy square car. An A 9 or A 12. They were sturdy but not glamorous. They were built to last forever. They were homely but way more sturdy than cars from GM or Ford. It it is too bad that there are no taxis made today that have that kind of practical made for the long haul approach.
Part of their lack of leftovers is the fact they did well in demolition derbies!
Worked as a mechanic for a guy that purchased used Checkers with over 100k on them. He repainted them, tuned them up and used them in Albuquerque, NM in the mid-80’s as taxis. Yes! Very easy to maintain and work on. I loved them and still do. Made to last and damn durable. I worked on many that had 200k miles and were still running strong. Can’t even imagine that with my current vehicle. Thanks for the memories!
As a former "car guy," I've long had interest in Checker. While I realized most Checkers were used as cabs--in cities all over the country--I also knew, I think via National Geographic, that Checker had tried to sell cars in the consumer market. Your history here explained perfectly things I previously did not fully understand. Thank you for this interesting presentation! (I note the "Land Rover" book on the bookshelf behind you. That was the auto company I was involved with from the 1960's to 1986.) Andy McKane, 27 December 2022.
The REO Motor Car Co. was actually pronounced "Rio". An abbreviation of the founders name, Ransom E. Olds. Yes the founder of Oldsmobile as well. Great video btw, and thanks so much for sharing!
I would absolutely love to have one. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a nostalgia type cab company that you can still get rides in one?
I rode in one as late as 2010. Close to Destin Beach, FL. Best cab i have ever been in. If i could find one would love to carry around grandkids in it. The driver looked like Wolfman Jack had it painted in a safari style. Had him on speed dial used his service alot. Loved it. Thanx for the memories
I can remember seeing the Checker Aerobuses at Logan Airport when I was a kid. My Dad drove Marathons when he was young for a local “in-town company “ in Winthrop, Mass in the 60’s. Lastly, I can still remember taking off with a few friends one aimless night when I was a teenager in 1989 and ending up in New York City. I saw those beautiful, iconic Checkers flying through traffic exactly like they were portrayed in every movie. It was quite a sight.
I drove a Checker cab for 12 years as a NYC Yellow cab driver. Best cab ever drove in my over 20 years of driving Yellow cabs. A true money maker and you couldn't kill them. I was actually one of the last Checker cab drivers in NYC when the NYC Taxi and Limosine commission forced us to replace them in 99. A tradition that was taken away from the city of New York. Taxis in just about every major city in the United States have never been the same since! Now they have cars and SUVs that don't hold up as long as the cabs of yester years. And some of these small ones that they use today look like golfcarts with roofs on them they are so small and unsafe!
Markin is actually memorialized here in Kalamazoo with the Markin-Glen Park
I had a 62 Marathon. Completely removed the back seat, built a platform and squeezed in a queen sized mattress. Drove it back and forth across the country and up and down the Baja peninsula between 1967 and 1970. Never had to do a lick of work on her; one brake job in all that time. Bought in Norfolk , Va. for $250.00 and sold it in California for $500.00
New York City.
I grew up in Manhattan. That car was a major part of our city.
My favorite Checker Cab moment on TV was F.R.I.E.N.D.S when Phoebe(Lisa Kudrow) inherited an old Checker Cab from a relative and everytime she hits the brakes, the rear seat passengers hits their heads on the plexiglass partition.😆😆😆
pssst - I've never watched Friends. :)
I was born in the back of a Checker Cab in Newark, New Jersey in 1962,
Made mostly in Kalamazoo MI.. My Cousin owns and drives a nicely restored one ..
I own several Checkers and have great memories of plant visits and CMC employee support. Thanks for posting a very accurate video.
I really appreciate that. I thought this would be a quick video to get out and ended up being my longest to put together. :)
If you're anywhere near Charlotte NC I'd love to see/drive/ride in a Checker! :)
Thanks for explaining how the Checker car was built using Chevy parts, etc. Back in the 1970’s a Checker car came into our garage. I was told it was actually a 1950’s Chevy with the Checker name on it. You cleared up that misunderstanding.
In 1971 I was stationed at Ft Knox and these were how we got around. It was fifty cents to go anywhere on base ( I was in for 9 months that year and according to my SS records I made $4000 to give an idea of how much a private made). With two pull down jump seats mounted on the back of the front seat the drivers could get five of us in the back and another two in front, though sometimes they squeezed in more.
Another service on post was fried chicken delivery, always thought that was a good idea, the only place I saw that again was in the 1972 movie The Mechanic.
I was in the Checker Motors factory right before they closed for good. I worked for Nordson Automotive and we supplied the automated sealant and adhesive applicators. When I was there perhaps 85% of the factory was dormant and all they had was few lines making some parts for other car companies. The empty offices had the old style wooden office chairs with a coat rack in each office. I remember thinking how said it was. They were dead, but did not know it yet....
In the NYC 1970s I used to ride on the folding seats as a kid, even when I was alone in the cab. Then, after awhile I think they took those seats out for safety reasons, lol.
Great video, THANKS 😎
Glad you liked it!
Well done John! Always loved the Checker. Now we know the rest of the story of a great iconic vehicle.
Glad you enjoyed it
You missed this in your video. If he did not die I think it would have been a different story. Edward N. Cole, retired President of General Motors Corporation, died at the controls of his private plane in a crash near Kalamazoo, Michigan, on May 2, 1977. Flying alone in bad weather, he was enroute to Checker Motor Corporation, where he was redesigning the company's taxi cabs with the same enthusiasm and innovative spirit that marked his forty-four year career at GM.
At the time of his death at age sixty-seven, Ed Cole was Chairman and Chief Executive of Checker Motor Corporation and Chairman of International Husky, Inc., an air-freight venture he had headed since his retirement from GM in 1974.
Mentioned that in the 2nd video about the 4 failed attempts to design a replacement for the Checker
My dad did maintenance work for a big real estate management company back in the 90s, and he's fond of recounting an old fella that he saw around town often daily driving a checker cab with steel girder bumpers and door armor - mostly because of how fast folks made way for him
So, the Checker copied the business model of Volkswagen. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
I was a college freshman in 1973 when I bought my ‘63 Marathon. It had never been used in taxi service. It had the Continental Six with three speed manual transmission column shift, with two speed rear axle overdrive. I drove it for two years and even worked the summer of ‘73 in ocean City Maryland. Boy was that back seat huge! Fun memories and this is a fun video. Thanks for posting it.
The Title claims a far too brief history, I've watched a couple other documentaries on the Checker Cab Company and they weren't filled with nearly as much information as this video.
Thank you for your research, always love your videos
Thanks for being here!
Very interesting. I always thought Checker Cabs were 50s era Chevy Bel Airs. There was one that was used as a race car at a local racetrack in the early 1970s. It was painted yellow if memories serves, with the roof cut off, and a full roll cage. Those were the days.
I drove a checker cab in the 80s, gutless as hell, but built!
I drove a couple of Checker Special cabs in the 80s in Detroit. My only issue with them was that there was not much room for the driver.
I drove my family’s checkers for years as a teen. I recalled miles of space in both the front and rear seats. Either you’re a very large person or they moved the front seats forward to make even more room for the rear passengers?
In the UK, the Humber Super Snipe that ran from 1964-67 always reminded me greatly of the Checker cab. Either they had the same stylist, or there was some heavy plagiarism going on.
What a neat history lesson. I've gotta soft spot for checkers, my grandparents owned 1 in the the 80s it lasted till the late 90s. I remember the road trips from Michigan to Minnesota, I even learned how to drive on it also had my first little accident in it to. It was tuff just a little dent on the bumper and the other car front end crunched. That car held so many people and stuff, so much stuff 😁
In 1978 Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto filmed a movie called blue collar in the checker plant.
I grew up in an area that was an active oil field. The men that drove around and kept an eye on the pumps drove Checkers. They were the only ones I ever saw that weren't taxis
I drove a checker when going to college in NYC loved the size of car and when I was given it to drive it was relevantly new ....
NATTC Millington, Tn. the Navy's avation training center in the 80s had a Checker Aerobus. It was part of the auto pool on base and was used to pick up and ferry after school working parties around base. That thing was a hoot. Big comfy seats that could seat 4, no power steering, and it was a land yacht of epic awesomeness!
haha! Cool! Thanks for sharing, not a ton of info out there about them!
We had them as base taxi's at Ft Knox. The free rides were Ford Falcons. Who would ride a Falcon when they could ride in a Checker?
I know this is quite late. I just happened across this video. Great piece. Checkers were a large part of my life, as my two uncles owned Yellow Cab in Minneapolis. Those cars seem like they were part of the family. Everyone gathered at my grandmother's house and sat for a cup of coffee and a game of cribbage. There were always 2 or 3 checkers parked out front.
Awhile back, I heard rumors that Steve Contarino, owner of Checker Motor Cars, was going to begin building Checkers again, though not as taxis. (I think one model was a pickup truck.) That was also the last I heard of that.
Thanks for the video. It brought back a lot of memories of sitting in the jump seat, thinking it was the coolest thing in the world.
UPS came to town (Canada) in the seventies. They were restricted to only using cars, so they bought Checkers, painted them brown and fueled them with propane. Was very common to see them on the highway between Toronto and Montreal. Today it is a free-for-all....everybody uses trucks.
Greenlight has a Checker in UPS livery in 1/64th scale. Recommended by me.
@@sludge8506 Checked it out, that is how they looked back then. They are $8 if anyone wants one for their collection. Thanks for the info.
The Checker plant in Kalamazoo features prominently in the 1978 film Blue Collar with Richard Pryor, Yaphet Kotto, and Harvey Keitel. The rest is shot in Detroit, but they reportedly couldn't use any of the Detroit plants for the extensive interior shots. Solid movie.
I installed a stereo back in the early '80s on a consumer Checker Cab. I was impressed on how heavy duty the metal was. The interior door panel was almost 2mm thick (1/16"). The whole thing looked like it was built like a tank. Was as basic as a car can get though but must have been fun driving a unique vehicle.
I drove a Checker Marathon taxi back in 1980. Had a lot of room inside, but no AC, but the heater could fry eggs, lol. It looked like the cab in the TV show Taxi, which I thought was very cool, but it was blue instead of yellow. If I remember right it had a Chevy 350 ci. engine.
Checker Cabs were once such a mainstay of all the big Metropolei and American culture in general. From the real world to film and T.V (TAXI! lol) I, sadly, have never seen one in the "flesh", but anytime I think of New York or somewheres like that; I still think of them as a part of the landscape of the big cities. Great show, sir! I learned a lot! I'm heading back to part 2 now! Thank you! :)
Thanks for the kind words and for being here today!
0:49 "Morris Markin" in fact was born Залманъ Тамаркинъ Zalman Tamarkin, where his first name Zalman was just a variant of a name Solomon (from the Bible).
I retired last year after 41 years as a fleet services mechanic for a large city fleet department. For the past 23 years I have been driving Ford Crown Victorias as personal transportation cars. I have owned 4 of them, counting my current one. Sadly one was totaled after owning it for less than a year. All were bought used, and I have put more than a million miles on them. My current 2006 model has just over 320,000 miles. For a "modern" car, these are by far the best transportation car available. They are big, have a V8 engine, rear wheel drive, body on frame construction, and a solid rear axle. Millions were made, and there are enough cars and parts to keep one going for at least another 20-30 years, especially when you include the Crown Vics sister car, the Mercury Grand Marquis. And having worked on them for the past several decades, I am completely familiar with them. But I hate computerized electronics on cars. I am a mechanic, not a computer technician, though I was forced to become one at work. I love MACHINES. For decades I have wanted a last generation Checker as a transportation car. I love their mechanical simplicity, durability, lack of electronics, and looks. I have found several for sale, but most of them have been modified, they are ridiculously expensive, and most parts are no longer available for them. With modern cars being so expensive, complicated, and so fragile that minor damage will often total them, something like the Checker is exactly what we need right now. I may wind up buying one anyway, just because I want it.
The panther platforms are durable as hell and agree that the parts will be around for a long time. I love these cars. The Checker cab was before my time but do remember them on the Taxi Show and also any old movies and tv shows. Classics in their own right. The maintenance of the Ford Panther platform is easy and cheap. The ride is good for Ohio potholes and fits 5 with ease. Are there better cars out there? Sure technology moves forward but your points are on the money. I also like the last Chevy, Buick, and Caddilac full-size sedans that GM quit making in 1996. They were good cars that were solidly built. Their engines certainly were potent as the final 350 engines were making 260hp. They made the decision to focus on SUVs so giving Ford the whole sedan market.
One of the jobs getting me through college, in the 1970s, was driving a taxicab -- a Checker, of course (Boulder, Colorado). Those cars were tanks (and probably with about the same gas mileage -- around 10-12 mpg) and not terribly zippy, with the Chevy 6-cylinder engine. But they were simple and durable and easy for the company mechanic to work on. We had two models, one stretched a bit to fit in two jump seats. All were automatics (though the shop car, an old taxicab from the 60s, had a floor shift) and none had a/c. They took a beating from drivers pushing them hard, and finally were phased out, replaced with a fleet of non-Checker something-or-other that burned propane. I always wanted to buy a discarded Checker cab for my own car, but that never happened.
As a Kalamazoo native, I recall a story from a neighbor that worked at Checker who told me about Checker packing up all of the equipment here in Kalamazoo into semi's and hauling it all to a location down south. Basically left town and didn't tell their employees. Probably to break the Union I assume.
Yes, I worked at Checker during that time. Many people were laid off after that move which was done without notification. It was also illegal, and Checker was fined. Effected people ended up receiving back pay. It was a mess.
@@Greydoggy1658 What a black mark on the Legacy of the company so rich in history.
I believe not too long after Checker stopped making cars, I read a comment in a syndicated newspaper column from either New York or San Francisco that said something like "All cabs should be Checkers", or similar. That's because they were so easy to get in and out of, compared to regular American passenger cars. Wide back doors, lots of headroom and legroom, and a floor at a convenient height.
Great video and solved a mystery to me as to what Make/Model those custom nosed Cabs were in a 40's street video I caught. Checker Cab never entered my mind !!! thanks! and yes, those gave them distinctive looking front
Happy to help. I know exactly the car you're talking about. :)
I drove a Checker for Yellow Cab in San Antonio back in 1970. Later used my Chauffeur's license to drive for the city's bus system. Later still, I got a real job with the US Army in '72. 😃
I recall that some Checker cabs in NYC that continued to be used into the 1980's & 1990's had an x shaped paring of chains inside of the back window to hold them together. The potholed streets of NYC were very bad on them. They did have the advantage of room, bolt on fenders, a full chassis so easier to do body work on.
Most of the fleets had moved from Checkers in the early 1970's, mostly to Plymouth and Dodge mid-sized models with the slant-6 motors as cheaper to buy, maintain and fix. Checkers were more commonly used by single owners.
I also recall the 6 to 8 door 'airport limo/station wagons operating at JFK and LGA airports, mainly operated by company serving persons going to/from south eastern Connecticut.
That's really interesting. A car, with a body-on-frame and designed to stand up to the rigors of taxi work would have to have chains to hold them together from the beating they took. I've never heard of that before, so thanks!
$25 in 1913...adjusted for inflation is close to $800. That is one philanthropic and charitable janitor!😮😮
As a kid in the 60s until the 90s my dad owned a string of Checker Marathons and Superbas. My new sister came home from the hospital in a green checker limo (later my parents loved the glass partition behind the front seats that muffled our fighting), I learned to drive in a white Checker wagon, and the last one had a custom gold paint job (free because my mom did ad art for a tech school that had their students paint it). That one lived in the boonies of New Jersey and had a family of mice living in it that would pop out of hiding sometimes while we were driving! Checkers were boats with poor gas mileage and no steering feel, but they were very reliable and a ton of fun to drive around. I also rode in tons of checker taxis, since for most of my childhood in the 60s and 70s we lived in NYC. The little fold up jump seats in back were so cool!
give me the body/chassis.... I'll give it a Harry Canyon job!! (Heavy Metal '82)
440 Mopar
4 speed
Halibrand quick change rear end(because why not)
wide 5 hubs...
I'm from Indianapolis, but lived in Grand Rapids in the mid 80's, and drove by the Kalamazoo Checker plant a few times. Their "test track" was north of the plant and on the southwest corner of North Pitcher St and E. Mosel Ave. It was right next to the chain link fence and is still visible on Googe Maps. Wish I could have seen them checking out a Checker.
I wanted to drive on that track so badly as a kid!
Every time I went to NYC for business and needed a cab I'd seek out a Checker for as long as they were in service, anyway. After the early 90s, as I recall, you couldn't find a Checker anymore so I had to ride in whatever was available.
Hey I love your channel and can't wait for more. You're a natural storyteller!
Thank you so much!!
And tradition of foreigners making a fortune, while US citizens suffer continues.
👉🏽”The more things change”...🇺🇸
I remember checkers from NYC in the 80s. Great video. Thanks for the memories and a whole bunch of info I never knew!
Glad you enjoyed!
I knew two people who bought Checker Marathons around 1970. Someone always yelled "Taxi!" when they pulled up, making their owners the butt of constant joking. Both cars had Chevrolet engines and were VERY roomy inside. The massive silver-painted bumpers were kind of ugly and I think there was a chrome option.
I drove a Checker cab in Chicago in the early '70s and remember the cars well. Their large size and boxy shape gave them plenty of room for as many as six passengers and their luggage. They were great cars built for a purpose. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
My pleasure, thanks for the visit!
I used to work with a guy that had a couple of these things. He had a yellow one, kinda beat up, a little rusty, but it was considered a classic and was insured for over 10,000$
Thanks for making this video. I’ve always wondered who made those cars that looked like the were from the 60’s but were cabs everywhere well into the 90’s or later it seemed. The story of the yellow cab company and the taxi cab wars are just as exiting and interesting, now that this wormhole has opened
I've read a lot (now!) about the taxi wars. Interesting, confusing, and a topic I decided I do NOT want to try to unpack in a video! :)
I am not a particular fan of automobiles, in the first case.
But these beautiful, practical, durable machines are precisely what an adequate, functional, and logical transportation scheme is all about.
Especially in a metro or mega-metro setting.
I am a big guy, and, in my late 60s, cannot even "wedge" myself into what passes for a "cab" these days.
I'm sorry: But a vehicle that is 4 feet at the roof is NOT intended for regular, accessible, physically accommodating use.
The Checkers are huge, and have tons of headroom; they are designed for piling suitcases in the back seat -- you could put a typical steamer trunk on the back floor! -- and have a remarkable amount of legroom permitting an adult to stretch out and not be cramped at all.
The modern cab-ettes are comparable to flying coach, on a cheap airline.
It's insane that some sort of irrationality led to the demise of these beauties.
We made a similarly pecuniary, stupid move with our passenger rail and streetcar systems decades ago, and now have a pale imitation of practical transportation -- and the laughing stock of the developed world.
Most of this can be chalked up, as usual, to a "corporate" lust for overuse of technology, a "black box" throw-it-away mentality about maintenance and longevity of whatever we build, the cult of private transportation, and, importantly, the true cost of skilled labor -- with the "suits" and managers wishing to divert a worker's fair wages to their own parasitical pockets.
Great video...my father owned the ad agency for Checker Motors for many years so a lot of the marketing materials were actually created by him and his team. As a child, I met Morris and his son David a number of times and have great memories of visiting the Checker Motors plant in Kalamazoo in the mid 60's.
I recall regularly seeing advertisements for Checkers for sale to the public in The National Observer in the 1970s.
Great video, I forgot about Checker. 25 years ago, my grandparents bought be a book on cars from the 50's and that's where I learned about them. Checker cabs were also used in a few videogames too.
And a pinball machine.
@@kellybanning2013 Cool
Phyllis Diller had many cars, among them a right-hand drive Rolls-Royce, in which she could only turn right.
Her favorite car was a CHECKER!
its awesome that the last yellow checker taxi IN N.Y. retired in 1999 with a hair under a million miles. I never saw a civilian marathon on the road in Boston.