When most folks think of the Checker automobile brand, a yellow taxicab comes to mind. And they would become quite prolific in the 1960s and 1970s in big cities like Chicago and New York. But Checker also sold a consumer version of the car called the Marathon. This 1967 edition, a low-production station wagon, looks to be in solid condition which is not surprising as the cars were known for being more durable than styling. Located in Ocala, Florida, this Checker transport is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $12,750. Thanks for sharing this tip, Chuck Foster!
Checker had the distinction of being the longest-surviving independent automaker in the U.S. They lasted for more than 80 years, which was longer than AMC, Studebaker, Nash, Hudson, and a long list of other producers were able to manage. The Checker Taxicab and Marathon were built from 1961 to 1982, with the latter directed at the consumer part of the market. While the taxis were sold in volume for fleet purposes, most of the John Q. Public versions were purchased directly from Checker as they had no nationwide dealer network. Other than safety updates, it’s hard to tell which year a Checker is just by looking at it.
The seller doesn’t tell us much about this rare wagon other than only 474 of them were built in 1967 (that makes sense as only 5,822 Checkers were assembled that year including cabs). Also, few photos are provided so you can’t tell the overall condition of this car. We’re told it has a 377 cubic inch engine, but that’s probably a 327 V8 as the vehicles had Chevrolet power. It has an automatic transmission which is probably a Chevy 2-speed Powerglide. It’s seen at least 100,000 miles and is green in color both inside and out. The seller isn’t letting it go to free up space as he/she may trade it for something “interesting.” We wish some interior photos were provided as these things were known for being uber spacious.
Amazing, these didn’t see that much private usage. Saw a few that were converted to airport limo service. So this is hens tooth in the automotive world. They are not small cars but built to be used hard. Should be a conversation starter wherever you take it.
Checker always had the “generic car” moniker. Not generic in a bad way, just it’s lack of change was nothing special. Just a car. TV and movies use the Checker as the stereotypical taxi. Taxi Driver( you talkin’ to me?) or Taxi TV series, is about as close to a Checker as many will get. I rode in a taxi once, a Plymouth, I think. Checkers are not wizard cars, they are assembled cars, from other manufacturers, a testament to their durability, just not a lot of style, if that’s an issue. You’ll fit right in with another Checker owner,,if any, that is. Cool find.
I drove taxi for a time in the mid 70s in Sheboygan. Most were 65/66 Plymouth Belvederes and Satellites (slant 6s, of course) and he was starting to get into the 72 style. About that time my father had a 66 satellite and couldn’t find parts in any boneyard because the cab companies gobbled them up.
I rode in Checker cabs as a child. Our Town Taxi company at the time had a bunch of beat up black 1960s cabs. I remember they were 6 cylinder standards and had a whine going thru the gears. They also had those stool chairs behind the front seat. So much space in back.
WoW, sounds like the same co in my small town (2K pop). Rode 1 a bit when the town contracted for the 2 or 5 kids “way out” to save school bus money. Of us middle-schoolers – the lill kids hada sit on the jumps. They loved it.
Ol fella in same town (& era, early ’60s New England) was a stand out. Was the last name Varoom? Wore a boller’n other ‘different clothing’. He hada sedan. (more ways to stick out).
Does seller have the 300TDI (W123) next to it in 3rd & last pic above? Now that’s my kinda garage !
We had something similar – Ed’s Taxi, located the next block over directly across the street from where I grew up. Ed Orzechowski had (at one time) 6 Checker Cabs in a village of 4000 people. By the time I recall them, he was down to 4, with the parts from the other two stored in the loft of his garage. Flip up seats in the rear, vinyl on the seats that looked like it was more durable than elephant hide… I can still smell them. Think they were all junked decades ago.
Here in Tacoma we did have a Checker dealer, and I remember as a kid one of my customers on my paper route had a wagon like this only in beige. They owned that car for years.
Car is no longer listed. Fun fact, the engines sourced for these cars were balanced and blueprinted for durability.
Terry, you are correct. The engines were built in a Canadian GM industrial engine plant, and were the same engines as supplied to Studebaker in 1965-66.
I think this one was on this site a couple years ago.
I’ve always liked Checkers. If you wanted to drive to the beat of your own drummer, this car was for you.
Sure, they were ugly but they were
built to last. Almost got a ’77 model
in ’91 from a regular customer of mine til the old gal willed it to her
housekeeper. I was heartbroken.
Haven’t been able to find an affordable one since. Still looking
though. I like the room and comfort
they give. And the durability, that’s
just part of the package. Haven’t
seen a wagon in years. I’d even
consider getting a shell and building
it to suit my needs. Rat motor, T400,
and a killer stereo comin’ up!
I don’t think they came with a powerglide, but instead used a Borg-Warner with an adapter for the Chevy motor. Earlier ones used a Continental flathead six with the B-W trans. They didn’t use a Chevy trans. until the TH350 or TH400 came out. This one looks nice and lacks the rust these were known for.
I was thinking the same thing. Since the TH400 came out in ’66 (for Buick and Cadillac) and went mainstream in ’67, there might be one in this car. The TH350 wasn’t in general circulation till ’69 IIRC.
“Since the TH400 came out in ’66 (for Buick and Cadillac) and went mainstream in ’67…”
For big blocks only, not small blocks. Small block Chevys used PGs through the early-70s. Some six cylinder Chevys used Powerglides through ’73.
I’m guessing this ’67 327 Checker has/had a PG, as the ’67 Corvette had if ordered with an automatic transmission, regardless of engine size.
My 68 Chevy C10 pickup had a 327 and a THM400 trans. So the THM400 wasn’t just used in big blocks.
You are correct. Checker bought the same engines used by the 1965-66 Studebakers, and were built for the Studebaker automatic transmission, a Borg-Warner. In my opinion a more robust transmission compared to the Powerglide.
And Checker made their adapter kits available to Studebaker when they started using Chevy engines.
The good news is these Checkers will last forever.
The bad news is these Checkers will last forever.
I had 65 checker marathon .it was stolen. Ac wasnt best because hung under dash . I t rattled because fenders bolted not welded for easy repair but it ran strong,easy acceleration and was great on slippery pavement because it had feature which allowed power to transfer from one rear wheel to one with traction to get you moving.
I think it’d be cool if Uber allowed use of older vehicles in some circumstances… this thing would be a big hit!
I think the age cutoff varies from region to region but my ’09 Pontiac Vibe is going to age out of Uber service soon here in Wisconsin, I believe. What a humbling experience that must be for a car… too old to drive Uber-drunk people home.
With a Checker you could just spray out the puke with a hose, can’t do that with a Vibe
My mother in law(who drove an Aztec) her best friend was lawyer that drove a checker. It had a straight six and th 350 automatic in it she took it to Kaiser Pontiac Buick in DeLand for service because it was all GM running gear even the interior switch gear and instruments were various GM parts bin mix of truck and car stuff
Huge flat vinyl bench seats front and rear it was a tank It was maroon 4 door with a black vinyl top
There’s one of these wagons here in Roanoke,but I can’t remember where I saw it at.There was also a sedan one that I used to see parked
next to a shop here,but haven’t seen it lately.
Mystery Men approved..
My Dad worked on many of these Checkers, mostly cabs. He had a repair shop in Brooklyn, NY and he had a big Taxi business. Even owned a few madallions back in the day. I remember him driving us around in them. Back seat was huge. Not sure I ever saw a wagon model. He always talked about how solid the checkers were.
I drove a cab in NYC (at night) from ’79 to ’82. Crime was rampant and I was held up several times. But not so thank God in my trusty Checker Marathon with the sliding glass partitions and the self locking doors. Customers also loved the leg room and the jump seat in the front. The company I drove for was Metro Cab our in Queens.
As if a Checker isn’t “interesting enough.
Dad had a ’67 Marathon in army Green with green interior and a 3 on the floor. Really! Straight from the factory.
After my mother rolled it a couple of times he bought a ’70 Marathon from the Checker dealer in Union, New Jersey.
My roommate in college was from the Bronx. He drove a black checker with a six single and a single draft carburetor, manual transmission if I remember correctly. I can still remember the sound of the air and fuel getting sucked into the engine along with the slow but smooth build up of speed. It was roomy and rare. The only one on campus. It wasn’t a chick magnet like my roommate was hoping for but it never left us stranded.
Fast forward to the present and a friend owns a checker wagon. Burgundy on burgundy. Velour cloth seats a nice radio and some bright chrome bumpers. I remember being told it was an automatic and the transmission pan was in the shape of his home state of Illinois which I guess is a clue to which transmission is in the vehicle? This vehicle is very low miles and in great shape.
Always wanted a Checker for my (back then) commute to work. Pictured it with railroad ties-bumpers. Probably wouldn’t have ended well.
I’m pretty sure I know this wagon. As my shop outside Washington DC was known for working on oddball vehicles, and I was familiar with the guy in Ypsilanti, MI who had the Checker parts inventory, I could get parts quickly.
I had a customer with an exact mate to this 1967 Checker wagon, in the same color. He bought it new from Standard Pontiac-Checker in northwest Washington. He was a diplomat who was often stationed in 3rd world countries, and wanted a car that was rugged and reliable, easy to fix.
I worked on the car for a number of years. Rebuilt the brakes [on this car I discovered the rear drums on a wagon were beefier, and very hard to find], re-arched all the suspension springs & rebuilt the front steering and suspension, and we did lots of small repairs and maintenance.
If this is the same car, I know it was very well cared for, at least thru the mid 1990s.
this & the MB W123 (waggys) are the Wagonman’s (dat’s me folks) delight.
(However both are a lill big so am settling on the ford fox-bodied set of 4).
In the 70’s I worked for a pharmacy as prescription delivery driver in Spokane Wa. The delivery vehicle was a 68 Marathon wagon. I came to love that vehicle and the 327 engine. One time I was flying up a hill on a delivery and a motorcycle Cop pulled me over for really speeding. The car had seen better days. I told him that just wasn’t possible, I was trying to make it up the hill. I suspected that he had no idea that the V8 could fly. He let me go with a warning. Thank you officer and have loved them ever since
Officers or Checkers ?
Joe,
“Officers OR Checkers?”
As a former member of law enforcement and a former Checker owner, Why not both!
A married couple of college professors I knew had both a wagon and a sedan. I was always amazed to see both cars in the faculty parking lot at the same time. Such a rarity, even in the early seventies.
Thank you for clarifying .👍
I have read that you can stack several sheets of 4 ft. x 8 ft. plywood in a Checker station wagon, with the plywood lying flat, not tilted. Furthermore you can still shut the tailgate.
Try that with one of those “crew cab” $75,000 boulevard-crusing pickup trucks.
Additionally, your plywood won’t get rained on in the Checker.
Rex,
Many years ago I was installing an interior ceiling in my shop, and due to serious rain expected to continue for several days, I couldn’t use my pickup truck to bring drywall to the shop. Reluctantly I loaded around 45 sheets of 1/2″ 4X8 drywall into my Checker Wagon, and slowly drove about 5 miles with it loaded. Had to do this in the daylight because the headlights were pointing to the sky! But the car made the trip, the rear axle rubber snubbers bottoming out with each small bump in the road.
I drove cabs back in the early 1970s. The company had mostly Plymouths, but a couple Checkers as well, with jump seats; always dependable.
The original article says Checker lasted longer than Studebaker, but fails to note Studebaker was incorporated in 1852, and only stopped building vehicles in 1966. That’s 114 years. And still continued many of their other divisions after that.
Another note of interest; the wheel covers on these Checkers were identical to the late Studebakers; only the center medallion was different.