Most folks associate Checker Motors with bright yellow taxicabs – and rightfully so. For more than 20 years, they cranked out sturdy, dependable, and roomy sedans and wagons for commercial use. The Marathon was built for the smaller consumer side of the market, so it had a few more amenities. The seller’s edition looks a bit like a limo, so it might be a Marathon Town Custom, which had a longer wheelbase (by nine inches). This one is a running project in Havertown, Pennsylvania, and is waiting for the first bid of $4,500 to be cast here on eBay. Our appreciation is extended to Russell Glantz for the tip!
The Marathon was built between 1961 and 1982, and it changed minimally from year to year, mostly to meet new safety requirements. Checker had no dealer network, so if you weren’t a fleet buyer, you contacted Checker directly in Kalamazoo, Michigan (HQ). In later years, powertrains were supplied by General Motors and included both six and eight-cylinder engines. The seller’s car likely has a 3.8-liter V6 with a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission.
It’s doubtful this Checker ever saw taxi service, but it looks to have been gussied up with a somewhat plush interior and a partial vinyl roof. Rust has been busy with this vehicle, having invaded some sheet metal and the trunk floor. These things were built like tanks, so corrosion must have been working extra hard to get at this Checker.
The vehicle at hand does run and drive, but the buyer will have to find and install a new fuel tank. We also see an air conditioner hanging under the dash, but does it work? The old workhorse is for sale locally, and the seller reports having been offered $4,000 so far. You might be able to take this project home by simply offering the eBay opening bid.
Checker has always been at the top of my list of favorite vehicles. This particular example was not the limo. Note the standard size rear doors. The limo’s doors were extended to compensate for the additional length.
It’s sad that this one has been allowed to deteriorate to this level. With so few Checker passenger cars out there, I hope someone can bring this one back to life.
Also, there actually were dealers. Here in Akron, Ohio, the AMC dealer on Main Street was also a Checker dealer.
We had a dealer here in Tacoma, not far from my house who sold run-of-the-mill Checker Marathons in both sedan and wagon form. I never did see a Limo though.
There was also a dealer in West Palm Beach.
Some photos and a little about Checker Dealerships:
https://www.checkerworld.org/single-post/2016/03/24/checker-dealership-photos
I went to high school in the 80’s with a guy a year ahead of me who had one of these. It was in great shape. He loved it. His Dad owned a funeral home at the time. Last year when my Mom passed we called their funeral home. Much to my surprise he came to my Dads house to pick upbmy mother. I haven’t seen him for 4 decades, the very first thing I mentioned to him was his Checker. A huge smile came on his face. It lightned a difficult moment. Him and his brother run the funeral home now. And even though 4 decades went by it all went away for a few moments, it was just something that eased everything. I hope someone restores this old Checker.
Sorry but I could NEVER use the words ‘limo’ and ‘Checker’ in the same sentence. One look at this explains why.
You’ve never seen a Checker Airporter with eight and sometimes ten doors!
Rode in quite a few when I was in the army from 1969-1972. I like them alot and they did have plenty of room. I,d like to have on now. Wish this car was closer .So I could check it out.
In the sixties a company in Wimbledon,south west London,England,used to run a fleet of those Checker stretch Airporters with eight doors. They used to run adverts for their company on the inside of London double decker buses.
That made many limos in the day. And they were quite nice.
Illinois Gov Big Jim Thompson had one – he said it was the only car in which he felt comfortable … lots of leg room ..
This the first Limo Checker I’ve seen. Interesting car to be sure, but I’m afraid even Checkers rusted in the Pennsylvania climate. This one sure has, and they usually were pretty resistant to the tin worm. Fun fact, GM motors supplied to Checker were balanced and blueprinted first as “commercial” grade.
First time I have ever seen a Checker with a landau roof.
Shhh—now it might be listed as a RARE ONE AND THE PRICE MIGHT GO UP.
The guy I mentioned earlier had this exact landau rood with the round windows and half vinyl top. His was black, very classy in my opinion. As soon as I saw this one it really brought me back.
As a senior in HS in ’69 I had a ’66 GTO. A gal pal and I were going out on a Friday night to hit all drive-in restaurants here everyone frequented. I remember pulling up to her house and saw a brand-new Checker. Gray exterior with a tan leather interior. The gal was embarrassed that her dad had made such a purchase. He remarked on my GTO and how he’d love to drive it. We agreed on a swap for the evening, much to her embarrassment. Needless to say, it garnered a ton of attention from the guys. No one even thought you could purchase one outside of a taxi company. Another cool thing? The backseat was massive, if you follow me.
I’ve always love these cars. I’ve never owned one but have always secretly wanted one for my myself. What sold me on Checker Marathon was when I was back in the Navy up in Great Lakes. One of our guys called a taxi, and this massive green and white C/M showed up on a cold, snowy day. I talked to the driver and asked him how many miles the car had on the clock. I believe it was over 300k. I said why so many miles? He said “This car runs 24 hours a day”. That blew my young mind back then. I mean this car was built like a tank and sounded like it was a new car. A real work-horse of a vehicle. Fell in love with them right then…LOL!
I remember the first time I saw a Checker in real life. I had enlisted in army and was picked up in a checker taxi in Oklahoma City for my physical. I have always wanted one. Nice, roomy and tough. Sad to see this one in such poor shape, till I look in the mirror. LOL
Perfect hipster car. So ugly and probably horrible to drive. No thanks.
Having owned a Checker Marathon for 28 years (that I bought new from that dealer just north of Tacoma) I must say it was a great automobile. Fun to drive and that back seat had lots of room!!
Buying parts was an interesting experience. Some counter parts people never heard of a Checker. I would have to ask for a Chevrolet this or that since I had the GM V6 engine.
That landau top with the opera windows was an option back then.
Not a Checker expert, but Pops did have two. A 1967 & a 1970.
First, Checker did have a small network of dealers, at least in the 60s & 70s. Don’t know about the 80s since Checker demised in 1982. We ordered our 1970 Checker Marathon at the dealer in Union, New Jersey just outside of Manhattan, New York.
This particular Marathon is not the limo, but there were a few “upgraded” Marathons where the big triangle window was removed completely or, as with this one, replaced with a smaller opera window.
Yeah, someone did a lot of non manufacturer upgrades on this one. Partial vinyl roofs did not exist at Checker. There was no large thick chrome strip that ran the length of the car and definitely no chrome that sloped at the front or the rear of the car. Obviously the two tone is not OEM either.
The chrome window shades are aftermarket. The a/c is factory. Not super sure about the interior, I’d say it’s factory.
One thing I’ve always hated about the late 70s early 80s Checkers were those huge battering ram non chrome bumpers. Our 1970 had nice chrome bumpers and the later non chrome ones were just awful.
Our 1970 had the Chevy 350 V8 and auto trans. Checker also used Chevrolet steering wheels from 1969 on.
As much as I hated Pops two Checkers as a teenager, I really miss them as an adult.
You clearly know your Checkers.
Hi Angel! And happy Easter to all! I’d
love to have one now–especially with my niece driving now. Gas mileage be damned. I’d wanna put her in something that would take a hit if needed and wouldn’t crumple like these new tinfoil jobs. Almost bought
one in ’95 or ’96 from Mrs. Erby, a really nice old lady who came to my
Taco Bell for a Mexican Pizza and nachos. That’s when my wife and I lived in Winter Haven. Seems she and her husband bought their car new
in ’77 and she hung onto it from new
til the time she wanted to sell it as she would have to give up driving soon. Hers ran a 305 Chevy (nice doggie) engine and a T350 tranny. Had the deal all ready to go when she
decided to sell it to her housekeeper
instead. It was white with a blue interior with an aftermarket stereo in
it. It was big and built like a Sherman
tank and just right for hauling newspapers on the paper route we were running then. That car would’ve
held over 500 Sunday without squatting. Well, Mrs. Erby’s housekeeper got into an accident with the car and asked my wife if I could drop by the Knights Of Columbus and check the car out while they played Bingo inside. Wasn’t much damage to the Checker,
but the car that hit her was totalled.
All I saw was a small crease on both
right side doors where the other car hit her. Last I knew, (2008) the woman still had the car and was still
driving it. Have you seen the ’60 Caddy yet? Looks like a really nice car from what I can see. Got some gremlins in the electrical system, but
Nothing to write home to Mother about. Not much going on here, how
are things going on in your world? Fine I hope. Working on a Skyline GTR for a young man upstairs and should have it done this week. Still
kicking around doing a sedan delivery
based on a ’50 or ’51 Caddy body and
chassis. And before I get out of here,
check out the ’76 Cadillac Castillian
wagon on YouTube. Think you and TCK should like it. They built them on
the Fleetwood sedan you like so much. Well honey, it’s time for bed.
Worked at my store this morning after
pulling a long shift last night. Good night Angel 💋 Night all.
I just bought a 1980 A 11 Taxi. It has the 3.8 6 and is a TANK indeed. It is an original NYC taxi but still can operate all day stop and go sitting in traffic. No problem..
Hey Kenneth,
Always great to hear from you and your stories. Hers was a ’77, white with blue. Dad’s was a ’70, black with blue.
I’d love to have one now myself. Even this one. I think it would be fun to put it back to original.
If this is indeed all customized then I’m positive it used to live in the Kenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis around 2005. If not, then someone made more than one of these with the 2 tone, chrome, and padded top.
Thanks honey, I like hearing yours too! The stories that you relate about
your brother, your mother, and the stories you told about the checkers you owned always bring a chuckle to my heart when I think of them. And you must’ve been a knockout when you worked at the bakery to pay for
the ’62 Lincoln you bought. I can see you with your hair in a beehive and one of those waitress uniforms they
wore back then. Like I said, you must’ve been a knockout. But enough of that right now. My idea of the ultimate Checker would be one with a 454 BB Chevy mated to a T400
auto tranny and a really nice 8 speaker sound system to boot. The body would be covered in a nice dark
blue or Velvet Touch Maroon with a cream roof and leather and brocade
interior. And to keep my girls happy,
I’d add some gadgets like Bluetooth and some kind of Internet system for
the car to keep them entertained while they drive down the road. And since most everything found on these
cars is made by GM, I would find a shell of a Checker and build it the way
I like it. And yes, I did know a gentleman who owned a landau version of this car. His name was Gerald Svharf who was a big shot at
State Farm’s corporate office in Bloomington Illinois. I befriended him
after I fixed his wife’s car by the side of the road one day. As for the Cadillac wagons, did you see the ’76
Castillian yet? You’ll see other wagons in that video too. My favorites are the ’69 and ’70 models built by Celebrity Coach Works. When
they built those, they used genuine GM parts to do it and the end result was absolutely fabulous! Well dear, it’s time for me to get some work done on the Skyline GTR so that I can
get it done. You and your BF have a
great Angel.💋
I guess I wasn’t crazy for being attracted to the checker as a personal car when I first saw one. Seems there were others that felt the same thing I felt.. So much for taste I guess.
My only memory of these cars is a taxi coming to pick us up in the 70s (I must’ve been only like 5 or so.) and the little extra jump seats in the back. Me and my brother loved those seats!