Checker Motors Corporation Logo used in the 1960s thgrough 1981 when marketing its consumer vehicles, the Marathon and the Superba

Checker Motors Company was the manufacturer of the famed Checker automobile, the iconic taxi cab vehicle. Checker was established by Morris Markin in 1922 through a merger of Commonwealth Motors and Markin Automobile Body. Image File history File links Checkermotoslogo. ... Image File history File links Checkermotoslogo. ... Look up taxi in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Commercial vehicles

Checker is best known for its taxicab, on which it built its business and reputation. In its early years, Markin not only produced the vehicles but also ran Checker Cab, a taxi company which was in direct competetion with John D. Hertz, owner of the Yellow Cab of taxi cabs. A taxicab (sometimes called taxi, cab, or hack) is a vehicle for hire which conveys passengers between locations of their choice. ... John D. Hertz founded the Yellow Cab Company in 1915 as a way to provide transportation at a modest price. ... The original Yellow Cab Company based in Chicago, Illinois is one of the largest taxicab companies still in existence. ...

Checker designs changed infrequently; Markin held onto certain design features long after they were discontinued by major automobile manufacturers, such as open front fenders which Markin retained into the 1940s because it saved operators the expense of repairing minor dings and dents. Taxi cab models were delininated by a letter series; significant modifications in models (new major systems, etc.) were designated by a number following the model letter.

Checker's commercial vehicles were usually give letter designations instand of model names. An exception to this rule was the Checker Aerobus [1], an extended version of is cars, built on a stretch wheelbase allowing for each row of seats to have their own doors. The Aerobus was often associated with Airports and trainstations — vacation resorts also used Aerobus' for transporting guests to and from airports and trainstations as well.

Consumer vehicles

From 1922 until 1959 Checker's production vehicles were built for the commercial livery business (taxi) however the company would build vehicles for personal use if requested. Checker entered in to the consumer vehicle market as it saw its production of Checker Taxis decline.

Beginning in 1960, Checker introduced the Superba its first model specifically built for the consumer market. Joining the Superba in 1962 was the Marathon, which took the place of the Superba Special. Artists promotional image of the 1961 Checker Superba. ... 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's cars were lightly marketed using campaigns that centered on its durability. Checker also promoted their vehicles as 200,000 mile cars at a time when most US automakers shied away from mileage promises.

Checker Motors produced its final vehicle in 1982 after members of the Markin family decided to end automobile production rather than bow to labor demands.

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, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ...

Also see: Checker Taxi Checker Motors built vehicles reached iconic status as the embodiment of the taxi cab in north America Checker Taxi (Checker Cab) was a taxi produced by the Checker Motors Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan. ...

References

• "The Checker Cab: In Memorium," Quintessences: the Quality of Having It (New York: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, 1983), Page 94.

External links

• Checker History
• Avanti's Altman tries to save car through Checker Motors
• Checker Car Club of America
• The Checker Aerobus Site