Checker Motors traces its roots to Morris Markin, a Russian tailor who immigrated to Chicago in 1913, became wealthy selling uniforms to the military during WWI, then invested in local automobile makers. One of those makers – Commonwealth Motors – made a taxi cab for Checker Taxi, a service company. Markin bought up licenses owned by Checker cab drivers, contributing to fierce and violent rivalry in the taxi business. After Markin’s home was firebombed, he made a move to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where the company redesigned its taxi and commenced selling to the trade nationwide. Several evolutions of its cabs proved to drivers that its product was robust and reliable. In 1959, Checker aimed for a slice of the passenger car market, launching the Superba, which was nothing more than a cab without the fancy paint. The Marathon arrived in 1960, also barely changed from the 1950s-era styling of the company’s cabs. Today’s featured Marathon was minted in 1969, and other than a few details, looks almost identical to its siblings from ten years earlier. This Marathon is advertised on craigslist for $25,000, and it’s located in Port Huron, Michigan – just 200 miles from its birthplace! Thanks to Tony Primo for the great tip!
Checker made its cars of stout materials: the frame was nearly flex-free, the sheet metal was heavy gauge. Production was low – a big year was 8000 units. Engines varied, beginning with Buda and Lycoming, rotating to Continental, and finally – starting in 1965 – Chevy inline sixes and V8s. This example was given a nut-and-bolt, frame-off restoration. The 327 cu. in. V8 nestled in the engine bay is backed by an automatic transmission.
Checker Motors managed strong profitability throughout its history by remaining focused on its niche but also by keeping frills and changes to an absolute minimum. The consistency from year to year was a benefit to fleet managers, who could reliably swap parts from one Checker to another almost without regard for year of manufacture. The simplicity of the car’s make is seen here in the austere cabin. Bench seats front and rear, simple vinyl upholstery, and a limit to the color palette helped keep the car’s cost down. Occupants sit high, enjoying great exterior visibility. The rear seat area is capacious. This example has power steering and power brakes.
The Checker is a tall car at over 62″, and it weighs close to 4000 lbs. Eventually, its anachronistic styling and horrific gas mileage made it untenable in a world of fast-changing fashions and serial gas crises. The company ceased new-car production in 1982, but it remanufactured cabs until 1997. When that business faded, it made parts for General Motors until 2009, when it filed for bankruptcy. After a few years of dereliction, the factory site was absorbed by a packaging plant, but Checker’s test track – long abandoned – remains intact, yearning to host another set of tires.
Fear not, Ms. Rand, I’ll get the ball rolling. The Checker was the “generic” car. It’s odd, being probably the most dependable US car made, very few made it into the private sector. They were relegated to passenger taxis, and I don’t ever recall seeing one not a taxi. Checkers racked up billions of miles, until replaced by the Crown Vic, that also racked up the miles. Checker used the best of the best, and had some unusual applications. The Checker “Medi-Cab”, had a raised roof, and doubled as medical transport. Survival was iffy, at best. With as many Checkers that were made,( some estimates say over 100,000) how many do you actually see today? Wonderful find, nothing fancy.
An engineering professor at my college drove a Marathon as his personal car back in the ’80s. It was a silver-gray with a black vinyl roof. That was the first and only Marathon sedan I saw that was not a cab. I have seen a few station wagons pop up on sites like this that were built for the retail market.
Look at you go, Howard! Well done, sir.
Hard to think about a Checker and not expect it to have a meter in it counting down, something we stereotype in the car family. But they must’ve been pretty durable if most were used to make the working stiffs making a living in them return to buy them year after year.
Howard: 10-4 on the “Medi-Cab”. A wealthy dowager in my hometown of Charlotte had a black one back in the day (with a vinyl roof!). Don’t know whatever happened to it. It’s just one of those sights a person doesn’t easily forget. They also got heckled for their “Armco” bumpers.
There’s a couple of those wagons here in Roanoke.
That’s a lot of loot, but I’ve never seen a Checker this nice. The handful I’ve encountered outside of old movies were rusty and rattly ex-taxis or civilian version that led rough, rough lives. The one I rode in in New York City seemed only one pothole from total disintegration.
Have to admit I’ve come to like these. There’s something compelling in the utilitarian design. And this one avoids the “SBC swap” jokes, too.
About the only drawback — aside from the, well, “fare” someone will have to pay is the lack of a/c.
Fine writeup, Michelle!
I always thought it would be kind of interesting to have one of these. No doubt the only one at any car show. Not $25k kind of interesting though. I would think it would be a special kind of buyer for these in general, but at that price, very special!
It is fun to see a nicely restored Checker. A car which no one would ever consider bringing back to excellent condition. Except, as we see, someone did. As the ad notes, a great entry for an Orphan car show.
Good job Michelle.
Congrats Michelle!!!! You have found and excellently written up another odd ball!!! This Checker has been immaculately restored and I have to assume that at $25k the owner is under water?? But I would dicker just for fun. If you are one of the rare people who enjoy having something different at shows this Checker is just the “cats meow”. As a sideline the buyer could start a limo business for weddings, proms, family reunions, ETC.
Around 1986 I was selling used cars. Someone traded in a silver Checker Marathon. Don’t know what year it was, because they all look the same. I was volunteered to drive the car about 20 miles to drop off at a wholesaler. While I was stopped at a red light, a disco era Trans Am pulled up beside me. When the light turned green, I couldn’t resist flooring it. I caught the guy sleeping and beat him to the next light. He looked over at me pretty upset! Still remember that like it happened yesterday.
The one I lust after is a Checker station wagon, which I’ve seen a few of. Resort hotels used them to transport customers from train station or airport to their facility. This would be a neat car to have, and it’s beautifully done. $2-3K for A/C and you’d have a reliable, easy to work on, comfortable and roomy car that would be the only one you ever see at a car show. Seller must have way more than $25K invested in it. If I had won the lottery this one would be in my garage.
1 of the best made cabs.
I owned one of these for a few days. Before I could work on it a guy stopped by and offered me a nice profit before busting a knuckle… Nice find, and write up.
Thanks for the history lesson, Michelle. Living outside of NYC, I saw these a lot growing up. I always wondered about their roots. This Checker is a superb example of simple engineering and build. It’s a shame cars can’t be built this well anymore. This one is a great tribute to an American icon.
Here ya go Angel 😇! Here’s a really fine Checker for you! I almost bought one from a regular customer at the 🌮 Bell I worked
at in the late ’90s. Mrs. Erby said I could have first dibs on the car
when it came time for her to sell it. But she changed her mind and
gave it to her caregiver instead. I.
was devastated. Hers was a ’77
model with a 305 (nice doggy)
Chevy V-8 and a T 400 tranny. That car would’ve been perfect for the paper 🗞️ route we were
running back then. I’ll bet it could’ve held over 500 Sunday papers without squatting. Well, it
turns out the lady that got it was a friend of my wife and they played Bingo together at the Knights Of Columbus not far from our house. So.I get a call from my wife asking me to come
look at the car after her friend was T boned on the way to the K of C that Sunday. I walked down there, looked at the car, and all I
could find was a small crease in both passenger side doors where
she’d been hit amidship in the center of the car. Now I could’ve
come up with some 🐂 💩 story
about internal damage to scare her into selling it to me, but I wouldn’t have enjoyed the car and
slept at night if I had cheated her
out of it. So my late FIL troweled
some filler into the crease, Sanded it down, and we repainted
the car (it was white) for her with
yours truly helping with the masking and sanding. Do I want
this car? Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear 💩 in the woods? Of
course I do! And since I’d never be able to afford it, I’ll just have to
settle for a basket case instead. But with that, I could still build a
Checkillac, let Angel drive it, and
scare the 💩 out of the other drivers on the freeway here in Melbourne.
Can you spell UBER
I think that they require that you use a newer vehicle.
They should start an “UBER Classic” division.
Very nice informative write up, and “capacious” sounds like what it is, though I never heard that word before. This car looks new. Look at the engine compartment! Not a bad deal I think and the 327 must get at least 10 mpg?
A “capacious cab” is referred to in Charles Dickens’ “Mr. Pickwick’s Christmas” where I first encountered it as a growing boy on Charles Laughton’s 1944 recording on two 12″ [U.S.] DECCA 78s. So, I looked it up to see what it meant. If you look at the word, you see its relation to “capacity”: it is the adjectival form. Hope that helps. By the way, that Charles Laughton recording has existed not only on those two 78s, but also on a boxed set of two 7″ 45s, and for decades on a 12″ 33-1/3 L.P., with an edited version of Ronald Colman’s 1941 adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” on the other side. But I have the 78s. “A Christmas Carol” came out in 1941 on three 12″ 78s in a lovely deluxe binder; but in 1949, it was re-formatted onto three 10″ “Deccalite” 78s in a less fancy binder. The two-78 1944 issue of the Charles Laughton recording of “Mr Pickwick’s Christmas” has a folded insert which also tells you what “snapdragon” was, and why fingers got burnt whilst playing it. That recording has a heart-warming and cosy quality to it: you can FEEL what that 19th century Chrismas was like, as Charles Laughton reads it. These records are from the heyday of radio-drama, when voice-acting was at its peak, and someone such as Ronald Colman or Charles Laughton could have you LIVING the story as they read it to you. U.S. DECCA records often were released in England on the Brunswick label over there. Canadian copies, pressed by Compo in Montreal, are on the Canadian version of U.S. DECCA.
Harrison, you are an encyclopedia concerning these recordings! Charles Laughton directed the movie “Night of the Hunter” in the 50’s, a very scary movie starring Robert Mitchum, Lillian Gish and Shelly Winters. He didn’t direct others due to some negative reviews, but it is well regarded since then for its style. My wife was an English major, so she did know the word “capacious” and did mention “capacity” when I called out to her just now. Plenty of back seat capacity especially with this Checker.
Wow!! This is one very nice Checker. I went to HS with a guy a year ahead of me whos father owned a funeral home. And he had a Checker Marathon. He and his brother run the funeral home now and he took care of my Mom when she passed away 2 years ago. When he arived at my parents house, to get her, One of the first things I brought up was his Checker, which opened up a huge conversation with a lot of memories. It made that day a little easier for me. But anyways, Michelle you have your finger on our pulse with this place. A Checker is another bucket list car for me. Great write up and history lesson too. Thank you!!!
Seems like a high price but seller has put a lot into this car to get it this nice. Reminds me of a Mercedes of the same era, sturdy as a truck! GLWTS
To Dave in PA: I think that certain words are more commonly used in England. I learned to read and write early (though not as early as my daughter did!). And when I was three and four, I corresponded with a retired teacher in England who was 86 and 87 at the time. And she sent me a British dictionary, so that I would learn to spell CORRECTLY! Because Americans were sloppy with the Mother Tongue, she explained. And I tend to use British spellings to this day. She also sent me study-texts on grammar, which I devoured.
With several friends in Australia I am getting used to their spellings, pronunciations, and their use of British terms for a lot of items, as well as some of their slang..
Awesome machines ~ stylish, no. Reliable, you betcha, and this one has a 327SBC ~ one of the best engines ever built.
Ah, nice – a Russian built an american icon! Fantastic!
A few years ago, when I was still commuting to work daily through Central Florida traffic, I considered trying to find one of these in drivable condition, for use as a suitable battering ram/vehicle.
Yes, they wouldn’t mess with one of these.
Had an uncle who was an Elizabeth, NJ fireman who won the “Irish Sweepstakes” ( anyone remember that one?) in 1967. I think the payout was $125,000, not bad for the day. Being somewhat frugal and despite his winnings, he chose to trade his 1959 Plymouth wagon for a 1967 Checker wagon, finished in “baby blue”.
Being 11 years old at the time, I thought he purchased a 1950’s car, especially since my father bought an ultra cool lookin ‘68 Impala, albeit, a 4 door sedan.
Well, the checker (3 on the tree and 327 Chev) was certainly a sturdy car, and last I remember was used in my cousin Catherine’s wedding in 1977. I distinctly remember that because I drove my families 1975 Dodge Dart, also finished in that “baby blue” color, as the next car in line.
Uncle Paul drove low end Chevies and Fords after the Checker.
My dad had a 69 with a Flying Lady hood ornament!Bart and Lisa would of loved the jump seats on the way to Mount Splashmore.
I, too, think that Uber should start a Uber Classic line. This would be a great car for that use. I’d love to have a yellow Checker to add to our taxi fleet, I’m sure that certain of our customers would enjoy it, and I love oddball cars, so I’d be it’s only driver.