The Humble Checker Cab

[christophe]

Driver aptitude test??

Craig

That's a good one! Or maybe this was meant towards inebriated customers to find their way into the cab more easily.

[Skip Lackie]

I noticed something odd (at least to me!) on the license plates of this A4. What would be the purpose of having front or rear written onto them?

Illinois commercial plates (truck, taxi) had front and rear embossed in them during that period (1946-57?), presumably to prevent one set of expensive plates from being used on two vehicles.

[christophe]

Illinois commercial plates (truck, taxi) had front and rear embossed in them during that period (1946-58?), presumably to prevent one set of expensive plates from being used on two vehicles.

Thanks, Skip. I suspected something like that. It's good to know for sure.
Nice day to all.

[Blue 15G]

My Dad bought a '63 Checker Marathon wagon new. McKean Oldsmobile in Pittsburgh was the dealer selling them at the time. The car had a 226 Continental OHV six with a two barrel carb, and a Borg Warner 3 speed automatic. We had it until 1972. It rusted pretty badly on the fenders and rockers but the frame and floors were still good when we junked it. I passed my driver's test in that car! It rode and handled well. The brakes weren't the best. It rattled worse than any car I have ever been in. Performance was adequate, but just barely. I think the wagon body was looser than the regular sedan. It wasn't the best car he ever had, but we all loved it and it was quite the conversation starter anywhere we went with it. They were a little overpriced when new. I think he paid a little over 3 grand for it new, discounted down from the upper 3s. You could buy a pretty nice, more powerful and more conventional brand of car for that kind of money back in '63.

[studegary]

Illinois commercial plates (truck, taxi) had front and rear embossed in them during that period (1946-58?), presumably to prevent one set of expensive plates from being used on two vehicles.

New York State did away with having two dealer's plates issued. Too many dealers were putting the two plates, with the same number, on two cars. For years now, they only issue one dealer plate per number. Regular passenger car plates still require front and rear plates (not labeled as such).

[tsenecal]

I like the Checker '8 door' edition. I had seen some with three doors per side before. They were called airport cars.

[t walgamuth]

I thought Airport Limos.

[Blue 15G]

In the early 60s Checker seemed to promote a little more to the private owner crowd (and I use the word "crowd" loosely here, because not many were interested in buying one). At the McKean Dealer, our wagon (pale yellow and white two tone - NOT taxi-cab yellow) along with a solid white one were up one floor in a storage area, but they also had a medium blue 4 door sedan right on the showroom floor along with a bunch of '63 Oldsmobiles. Dad priced a newer one out in the late '60s at McKean, so apparently they were still a dealer for Checker, but by then they weren't stocking any. It was a lot of money compared to the competition and he didn't buy another one.
In '64, Dad found out that Zellsmann in Butler PA was a dealer, and since that was closer to our home he used to order parts from them from time to time. Zellsmann had a tan Checker sedan as a demo at one time but I don't recall him ever stocking any Checkers. Zellsmann was also the Studebaker dealer. I still recall being on their lot in the summer of '64. I was just a kid. He had a lot of used Larks, and in a side lot he had a fairly large number of shabby looking '55 and '56 Packards. Also that summer he had a black Packard Hawk on his lot, the first I had ever seen. He was a Studebaker dealer all the way to the end in '66, and still sold parts and service for them at least into the 70s. After Studebaker he went with Datsun and did well with them.
About 20 years ago I was just outside of Brookville PA, near I-80, and saw a repair garage with a small lighted Checker dealer sign on the building. I had never seen a Checker dealer sign before.

[6hk71400]

One of the car testing magazines (I don't remember which one) had on the cover a Checker Marathon, Avanti II, I believe also an Excalibur and a few other cars. I think the time frame was around 1969 as they also had a road test of a swoop back Mercury Marauder. I bought it because of the Avanti II on the cover. The Checker was equipped with jump seats.

As I recall, the cover had the title of that issue as "The Improbable's"

Bob Miles
Different by Design
Different by Delight!

[56H-Y6]

Checker started its public sales of Superba and Marathon for the 1960 model year, along with their primary commercial taxi business. In the era of annual styling changes, the unchanging approach was promoted as an advantage, same as VW. Their reputation as rugged, purpose-built, long-lived transportation was directed to the no nonsense niche buyers who would gladly pay extra for such a car. If driven for enough years, buyers likely got the value out of the car. Rust and poor gas mileage were the main drawbacks for private ownership. Checkers in taxi operation were pretty thoroughly beat up by eight to ten years of daily operation, hence the low survival rate.

Had the 'pleasure' to ride about sixty mile round-trip in a 8-door Checker Aero Bus while in college. Riding in it was like being jostled around hard in a 55 gallon oil drum with guys beating on it with ball-peen hammers. Whenever we'd stop, all the doors would instantly fly open, everyone would fall out stumbling from the rough, noisy ride.

Steve

[Blue 15G]

Checker started its public sales of Superba and Marathon for the 1960 model year, along with their primary commercial taxi business. In the era of annual styling changes, the unchanging approach was promoted as an advantage, same as VW. Their reputation as rugged, purpose-built, long-lived transportation was directed to the no nonsense niche buyers who would gladly pay extra for such a car. If driven for enough years, buyers likely got the value out of the car. Rust and poor gas mileage were the main drawbacks for private ownership. Checkers in taxi operation were pretty thoroughly beat up by eight to ten years of daily operation, hence the low survival rate.

Had the 'pleasure' to ride about sixty mile round-trip in a 8-door Checker Aero Bus while in college. Riding in it was like being jostled around hard in a 55 gallon oil drum with guys beating on it with ball-peen hammers. Whenever we'd stop, all the doors would instantly fly open, everyone would fall out stumbling from the rough, noisy ride.

Steve

I agree with your comments generally, except I don't think the gas mileage was all that bad in our car. It was funny, the car was rugged in some ways, but the wagon body had lots of noise and structural shake. But the ride was comfortable despite that. And yes, rust was definitely a problem with it here in Western Pennsylvania. The body was getting pretty bad after 6 years or so.

[Bob Bryant]

In one of the recent newspapers it was stated that Checker Cab was founded 95 years ago.

[556063]

A few years ago, my wife and I stumbled on a Checker Club meet that was being held at the Inn at St. Mary's, right by Notre Dame, after visiting the antique stores in Niles, MI.

We had fun walking through the 30 or so cars there, and talking with the owners. My favorite was a white with black vinyl roof loaded "Civilian" version from the last couple years of production (80-82). I'm old enough to have ridden in a NYC Checker Cab on my first trip to the city in the 1980's.

The 5MPH Bumper law in the 70's really made them look akward. But, I did love that late production white one. Always had a soft spot for the Kalamazoo Wonders.

[56H-Y6]

"Civilian" Checkers almost always seem to have been driven by people who would be considered an iconoclast, one who proudly displays his attitude to go against the prevailing trends. In the 1930's, Chicago utilities magnate Sam Insull had an armored Checker to be chauffeured in to be inconspicuous in what could be dangerous times for the wealthy.

Steve

[Blue 15G]

"Civilian" Checkers almost always seem to have been driven by people who would be considered an iconoclast, one who proudly displays his attitude to go against the prevailing trends. In the 1930's, Chicago utilities magnate Sam Insull had an armored Checker to be chauffeured in to be inconspicuous in what could be dangerous times for the wealthy.

Steve

Steve, I agree with your iconoclast statement. In my Dad's case, he was an engineer whose taste in cars was very conservative for a long time, and I think that's why the Checker appealed to him at the time. He started driving in the 1930s and didn't buy a car with a V-8 until 1967. In his later years, his car purchases were much more mainstream. It could be that the Checker helped to show him that there was a better way to go!