 Metal die-cast model of a Checker taxicab Originally, a Checker Cab was a taxi produced by the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company (later known as Checker Motors Corporation) of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and operating under the name "Checker Cabs" in New York and other American cities. Checker taxicab, metal die-cast model, 2004, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Checker taxicab, metal die-cast model, 2004, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
A taxicab (sometimes called taxi, cab, or hack) is a vehicle for hire which conveys passengers between locations of their choice. ...
Kalamazoo is a city located in Kalamazoo County in southwest Michigan. ...
Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ...
The company was founded by Russian immigrant Morris Markin in 1922 and produced taxis until 1982. The body style that came out in 1956 and was used until production ended is probably the one most people associate with Checkers. It's the one shown in the illustration. Born in 1893 in Smolensk, a city in western Russia, Morris Markin worked in a clothing factory during his young years. ...
1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Checker Cabs were best known for their yellow livery, the black-and-white checkerboard-pattern stripes that ran down their sides, and their roomy interiors, which in addition to the usual back seat, included small collapsible seats immediately behind the front seats to accommodate extra passengers. The Checker was legendary for its sturdiness. A livery is a uniform worn by a civilian person. ...
Not all were taxis. Some were sold directly with some modifications to private individuals as personal vehicles. The company even marketed a station wagon based on the 1956 design as well as limousines, known as "Aerobus" and often used at airports. Checker had a showroom at the Kalamazoo plant for sales.
The city of Kalamazoo one time used several Checkers in its police department.
Today, many taxi companies in the United States and Canada operate under the name "Checker Cabs," although they may have no historical affiliation with the original company, and most likely do not have any Checker Cabs (per se) in their fleet.
Checker Motors today operates as an automotive subcontractor, primarily for General Motors, building mostly body components. A subcontractor is an individual or in many cases a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of anothers contract. ...
General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is a United States-based automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Vauxhall. ...
The Checker has long enjoyed a cult status.
On the original Mission Impossible television show, episodes that were supposedly set in Eastern Europe often used Checkers as vehicles, as was sometimes evident in closeups of the cars. Mission: Impossible is the name of an American television series which aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to September 1973. ...
World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...
See also
The original Yellow Cab Company based in Chicago, Illinois is one of the largest taxicab companies still in existence. ...
External links - Checker Cabs at the Checker Taxi Stand
- Checker Car Club of America
- Checker Parts source of parts for Checker Cabs
- Newsday - 1999: Last Checker Cab Retired
- Provider of classic checkers for movies/events etc
- Checker Cab in Berlin, Germany
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