These cars were designed to get the absolute snot beaten out of them while lasting for a million miles.

Back when I was a kid in the 1970s, we had a neighbor with a Marathon wagon painted a color I can only describe as Hearing Aid Beigh. It really stood out in that Era of vinyl topped broughams with crushed velour and leather from Corinth. It was cool in a very uncool way.

I remember riding in these occasionally in the 60s and 70s. I remember them having fold-down jump seats mounted to the rear of the front seat to carry additional passengers. I hated when they faded from the scene. They were as iconic as the black London cabs.

They have a checkered history

These were tough, but quirky vehicles. I had a friend in college (mid-1960s) that drove one. It was the family car. This design came out around 1956. Dual headlights were grafted on in 1958. The car was made available for private purchase in 1959 and was called the Superba. A wagon version was also offered. The rear compartment could be fitted with two jump seats that tucked behind the front seat when not in use, similar to limousines of the time making the Checker an 8-passenger vehicle. Before switching to Chevy six and eight cylinder power in 1965, Checker used Continental engines. The guardrail bumpers were required beginning in 1974. Before then, the chrome bumpers weren't too bad looking. Morris Markin owned the Checker Cab Co. in Chicago as well as the car's manufacturing facilities in Michigan. There was talk of a redesigned Checker for 1983 based on the Chevy Citation. However, that never happened. Like the famous London Taxi, the Checker was unique and served its time with honor, dignity and grace.

Honorable mention about the Checker: The turning radius is insane, especially for a car that big (it makes sense, but it's still amazing)! It also dwarfs a 1955 Chevy. It's easily as big as a modern bloated crossover. It's a stunning machine!

OBSESSED with Checkers! I love the 50s style, rugged reliability and massive interior. I cant understand why they STILL cant achieve this kind of room and comfort in larger cars and SUVs, even a suburban is much longer yet far more cramped and not nearly as comfortable . I truly believe there is a market for big, roomy, but more basic affordable cars like this, for practical people who dont want to race or sit in hard racing seats, but just want room, comfort, reliability and reasonable gas mileage. I was only lucky enough to ride in one once, as a teen in a college town, after most companies had switched to cramped "full sized" cars, and I was snitten by how easy it was to get in, how quiet and comfy, and easy to see out of this big, but actually tidy in length, well packaged tank . No its not a futuristic car but that just adds to its charm . I'd own one now if they'd stayed in production, with only tequied govt options, love the vent windiws and crank windows which will never break, and if course, the comfort if a sofa likd bench seats which cannot be matched by even the most expensive luxury car today. Thanks so much for reviewing this epic, legendary piece of Anerican car culture, and half a century if pop culture and really, genetal Anerican history!

There's a rolling example in town that I admire! The history of Checker is so interesting, they really put the customer first with all of that back seat space. The ultimate Back Seat Review.

I had one. Roomy doesn't begin to describe the interior. You could fit a bike in the back seat area, or in the trunk and close it. I'm 6'4" and could sit in the back and extend my legs straight forward. You could also fix six full sized adults comfortably. It was built like a tank, a slow comfortable tank. Rustproofing wasn't needed for two reasons. 1) Later versions had fiberglass body panels. No rust. 2) When you open the door look at the exposed bolts. It was a modular design that could be taken apart with fairly simple tools and have any door or panel replaced quickly. Because there weren't year to year changes every cab company had spares ready to go. After an accident it could have a new door and quarter panel replaced and be back on the road before the shift was over. Front and rear bumpers were very thick steel, so accidents didn't do much damage. Skid plates underneath were standard equipment so if you hit something like a rim or elevated manhole cover the car would slide right over.

Buying a Checker in the '70s is like buying a Speed Queen now. Not fancy, but it'll last FOREVER, and just do it's job, day after day.

I test drove a new 1970 Marathon in Atlanta. I ended up buying a 1970 Monte Carlo because it was way less "frumpy" than the Checker. But the Marathon did drive just fine. Of note about the wheelcovers on this car - They were made by Lyon Mfg. and the design started out as a Studebaker full disc wheelcover on 1959 thru '63s. The only change being the Checker logo replacing the lazy S of Studebaker decor. Also, it looks as tho the same chromed ash trays in the rear seat area look to be the exact same ones used in various Studebaker models of the 50s and 60s.

One of my dream cars ever since I watched Taxi as a kid.

Growing up in the NYC (actually NJ) area, these were all over Manhattan. When I was kid in the 80's (this example is the same age as me 🤣🤣) my parents would take me to the Ringling Bros Circus. Then, we would take a "Checker Cab" somewhere to find a nice place to eat afterwards. Usually a "Beefsteak Charlies" or something like that. I also first saw the World Trade Center (Twin Towers) through the window of one of these back in the early 80's. In TV world Archie Bunker (All in the Family) drove one of theses. And let's not forget the TV series "Taxi".

BRAVO ZACK! Thank you so much for making such an excellent video of my Checker. As with all my cars you've recorded it was an absolute pleasure to work with you!! I think the only factual information that is worth mentioning is that when Checker stopped producing the A11/A12 in 1982 they switched gears and only helped other car manufacturers make car parts until 2010. Regardless, thank you so much! Since you filmed it I've still been daily driving it and it has been just phenomenal.

I’ve always been intensely fascinated by Checker cars. I grew up in the 80’s in a suburb of Pittsburgh so I don’t know if I ever rode in a Checker cab or not. But these are really interesting cars that were intentionally overbuilt to withstand the rigors of taxi duty. And with a GM drivetrain they would be cheap and simple to maintain. This is the era when a GM drivetrain would run for a long time. That’s not always the case now.

Fun Fact: Richard Pryor's 1978 film 'Blue Collar' takes place in the real Checker factory. You can see the whole kit & caboodle as the cars roll through the assembly line.

The taxi version had these small jump seats that would fold out so kids could sit there and the adults got the bench seat in the rear. Rode in these plenty of times growing up in Ny

Many, many moons ago, when I was in high school - I graduated in 1980 - I wanted a Checker Marathon as my first car. It never happened, but I just loved Checker cars, and I still do!

Little known fact is that the rear quarter panels bolted on and off just like the front fenders on most passenger vehicles.

That door ajar light is not a big step from interior light(s) that light up when the door is open, some wires to the dash and a little bulb would do the trick.

I always thought the wagons were the coolest. The ones that served the airports were huge; especially the 6 door ones.

Checker cabs had folding jump seats between the front and rear bench seats to seat extra passengers.

In Home Alone 2, Kevin McCallister gets driven to New York in a Checker Marathon after he finds out that’s his family’s in Florida and he’s in New York. Cue All Alone on Christmas

I never forgot about un-boltable quarter panels.

That's a great example of a car from the 50s...er...I mean late 70s.

84 years latter... and we finally got it.

Something interesting about taxis that a cab driver told me- back in the days before email and FAX machines, businesses would send someone around in a cab to hand deliver paperwork/documents to be signed. If you wanted quick local delivery of documents (besides using a courier) you'd use a taxi. He told me when fax machines caught on, he actually lost a lot of business!

Had a chance once to buy a 1973 Checker Aerobus ( the limo with 4 passenger doors on each side 4 bench seats in the back that was designed as an airport shuttle). The guy only wanted $ 1000.00 for it but it had some rust and was longer than a modern Escalade so you could imagine how fun it would be to park. As such I passed on it but I always regret doing that because it was very cool.

That one aged shot at 13:17 looks so legit

Too bad you didn't mention Martin Scorsese's movie, Taxi Driver, starring Robert Dinero. He drove a Checker throughout the whole movie.

2:49 chevy nova steering wheel 4:34 luxurious door 10:32 such a wild looking car

Fun Fact; There was 5 different versions made and all were similar. Taxi, Aerobus, reg car like in the video, luxury version plush interior/ vinyl roof, and station wagon 😎

Our next door neighbors had one of these. That thing was an absolute battleship. I loved sitting in the vast back seat.

Nice. After production ceased, for a time the company did continue to produce parts for GM.

My partner was the office manager for the checker motor car company back in the 70s in Kalamazoo Michigan

I’ve seen one exactly like this at a used car lot in Berkeley California, a late model white civilian checker, the only difference is that it had extra rear facing jump seats in the back.

Fun video. Great info! In the early 1970’s, I worked at a Checker dealer in Brookline, Massachusetts, in the parts department, then sales support (I cleaned and delivered Checkers). As you mentioned, most of our customers were cab companies or independent cab owners/operators. Checkers were popular with Boston’s cabbies. One reason is that any required body work was simplified by the easily replaceable body panels. Another shout-out to the rear pop-up seats! ;)

Growing up, there were 2 in my neighborhood. An older Marathon wagon. Which was parked at an apartment complex. And a drop-dead-gorgeous ,probably a ‘72 or ‘73 [ first year for the humongous bumpers] maroon, black vinyl roof, pinstripes, and black interior. It was such a beautiful car. I never met the owners of these cars, though I tried. The A-8 body style came out in 1956, In 1958, it was slightly restyled, Dual headlights, mesh grill, in place of the heavy chrome bar, and tail lights. They ran on a Continental engine [ NOT Lincoln Continental ]. In 1965, they switched to Chevrolet engines. Love your videos. * they could be a little longer. 🚗📻🙂

For years I kept an eye out for one of these to buy used. I figured since they were made so long they'd be a fairly common "classic" car that I could buy for cheap. Never saw _any_ for sale near me, and basically gave up looking for them a few years ago. Didn't realize they had no rust-proofing, so that explains why I've never seen any up north where I live. I'm surprised you didn't mention the poorly matched bumpers when you were talking about the safety stuff. Pretty sure those are the product of having to update the bumpers to 5-mph bumpers in the early '70s. Older Checkers have bumpers that actually match the curves of the car.

You are getting better and better at giving more information about history of the cars you are presenting. I believe this was your best video. Great job. 👍

This is so cool, I’d love one of these

Here's another tidbit, the cab version had little booster seats that can fit a small adult right behind the bench seat so in total it can fit 5 people in the back 👍👍👍

I have seen a Checker in Sydney Australia actually saw it many times it was parked in used car dealership in all its yellow and black paint also l had no idea it was an actual separate taxi cab manufacturer thanks for that today l learnt some thing new cheers Zack

Had one of those 6's in a 78 Nova. Great engine, very reliable, but not so reliable when you bury throttle at around 100mph for 3 hours plus. Seemed to have developed quite the tick after that.

Of all the cultural references to taxi cabs, somehow this is what came to mind: “The dawn is breaking, it’s early morn’ The taxi’s waiting, it’s blowing its horn Already I’m so lonesome I could cry…”

It not only has a Chevy drivetrain, but the steering column is also GM, as well as the locks with the square/round keys. I think the steering wheel is from an early 70s Chevelle. This was a great video! I really learned a lot about this car.

Nice! So cool you got to review Dan’s car

Checker is the character actor of cars; makes appearances in thousands of movies, gets none of the fame

There is a lot of Chevy in that car. I recognize the steering wheel, gear shifter, exterior door handles, and straight-6 250 ci engine from the 1975 Chevy Nova that I drove in the mid-80s. The cavernous space of the interior and lack of rust-proofing are reminiscent of my Grandmother's 1952 Chevy Deluxe.

Got to love them !

Last vestige if E.L. Cord's auto empire! Friends growing up had one, it was a hoot. Slow, but always started, nothing stopped it, in West Virginia, even in the winter!

Reminds me of my first ever visit to the US in 1978. Outside the terminal at JFK I spotted a stretch Checker airport limo and could not believe my eyes 😮

The TV show Taxi also used these. But buying one of these in 1977 would be like buying a car today that came out in 2003 and hasn’t been changed at all.

Cool 😎 video about the checker marathon- I saw 👀 it in movies 🎥 and tv shows and I used to dream of driving in a car 🚘 like it- it’s great 👍 that guy lie let you drive it for a history lesson on the car 🚘 Thanks for sharing us on this one! 😊😊😊😊😊😊

When I landed my first job after college in 1986 I flew into Chicago and rode into one of these. Probably the last era before they disappeared from the landscape. Reminded me of being a rider in the movie "Taxi Driver". Thanks for documenting these rare and often forgotten vehicles.

I sure remember these as taxis. Cavernous in back.

Thanks, Zack, for providing focus to an automobile that rarely enjoys a retrospective. However, you need a history lesson about commercial aviation. By 1976, airlines had been carrying passengers for more than 50 years. Western Air Express, which later became Western Airlines, TWA and Delta, took passengers from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles on May 23, 1926. Hardly a "new technology". I, myself, took my first fight in 1969.

Ive been to the old checker factory. Those things were everywhere, because they were all the same and were repaired with parts from others, like fenders, after accidents. Because they were all exactly the same. The u.s. Federal put them out of business. Particularly the 3 letter agency created by the office of president nixon. No one build cars with rust prevention measures, because they didn't need to. Cars didn't rust like they do now. In 1976 Michigan outlawed studded tires and chains. That's when they started using salt. Other northeastern states were similar. It's a shame what was done to them, i remember people lamenting, because they were perfect cabs, with awesome passenger compartments and trunks. Lots of room, people would shop and load them up. Nothing good replaced them.

About 10 years ago I actually drove on as a valet driver! It made my day!

I've been waiting on this one!!

I'm from Israel, and you won't believe it but these were used here as taxicabs as well, in the 60's and 70's mostly. I remember seeing and riding in a few as a kid. Here they were black and had yellow striping under the window line. The last of them disappeared around 1981, as Mercedes w123's took over. I haven't seen a single one on the road since then. Too Bad.

Fond memories of riding around in New York City in Checker taxi cabs in the 1970s and early 1980s, but it almost doesn't look right unless it's bright yellow. And I've ridden in the fold-down jump seats in the back before. I wish my dad was still around to see this video. There were hundreds of these in New York City back then. You might see at least two or three stopped at the same traffic light.

there is a second marathon in oregon city or in light blue ,my friend steve had it since early 80s .dont know where its at presently but cool car ,i always judge the year by looking at the hood gap ,it got bigger every year as the dies wore out

I would love to daily drive a checker. I think I could fit more tools and other supplies in a checker than I can in my work truck and still be able to fit a passenger which I can rarely do now lol. Super awesome and underrated cars in my mind

Always loved the look of the Checker. I remember seeing these in the city and the airport limo version running on the Connecticut Turnpike. The Checker instantly makes me think of Crown school busses, could be brand new but looks 30 years old. Thanks for the informative video.

If the example you drove handles like a 50s yacht, it needs some serious TLC in the front end. These cars are sprung stiffer, and have wider tracks than a lot of the contemporaries, and they handle vastly better... you should be able to toss it fairly aggressively in traffic. The front door checks are broken on the reviewed example as well; my '81 and a friend's '82 both have them.

I would love to have one. I would have wanted the jump seats in the back so you could seat 8 instead of 6. Love them

Find one of the 8 door ones! I think they were made for airport or hotel shuttles

I'v seen these at a local car show and always thought it would be a cool car to own.

I went to a small Christian school in the 70s, and the parents had to drive their kids to school every day. There was one family that drove their kids to school in a tan Checker Marathon. I managed to get one picture of it, but the camera I borrowed took black and white pictures. I remember seeing advertisements for Checker, and one thing they said about them was that they had "chair-high seating" During the same time period when these were made, GM made a transit bus called New Look (They were also known as Fishbowls.) The Fishbowls were just as iconic as the Checker cabs.

100% as a kid and being a car nut i was convinced they were 56 chevy sedans and actually asked my dad how they decided that a 56 chevy was the best taxi .......he explained the Checker brand to me and how they were on GM powrtrains I believe Checker also made parts for such as truck cabs for General Motors in a partnership for quite a long time

These are the Speed Queen of automobiles. If anyone is familiar with that brand, they make professional grade laundry equipment, but also sell them for home use, but they use identical mechanical components. Just as plain and utilitarian as a Checker, and also just as durable, easy to repair

My dad bought a Checker from Dick Dye Imports in Oakland in 1970. It sat on the lot for 2 years before that, NOS. I grew up in that car we Took it all over California. It had a Chevy 307 V8, I sold it in October 2022 after it had been in my family 52 years. Sad to see it go but it sat for 15 years in my garage unused. I could not drive it or fix it to make it drivable. Almost 300K miles.

"Check strap" is what you call the thing that keeps the door from flinging open all the way. I only know because I replaced one on my 2005 Scion xB yesterday. Had to order it all the way from Japan!

I remember when you could go to Sears or JC Penny auto and have Air Conditioning installed in your car and it looked just like that one in this car.

Kalamazoo!

this thing is same age as my mom. but aside from watching tv shows this is a very reconizeable car espically its headlights and the rear wheels

I remember an old timer telling me they were also built on 3/4 ton gm truck frames !

Those had jump seats in the taxi version I believe.

Checker needs to come back. They would have so much potential nowadays.

That has a 1971-1976 Chevrolet Caprice/Impala steering wheel and Saginaw gear box as well.

Interesting to note, that by configuration alone, the Checker is technically a limousine. Rear seating set far behind the doorway, which is why the leg room is so spacious.

The film "Blue Collar" was filmed in the Checker factory.

I've always liked these cars.

Back in the 1970’s no cars had cup holders other than on the back of glove compartment doors. My cousin had the 1975 Marathon with the limousine package. It eliminated the rear quarter windows and added a vinyl top. He opted for the 350cu in V8 and rear jump seats that folded behind the front seat. An electric divider window was also an option. It was silver with a maroon interior and black vinyl top.

That rear seat legroom makes the Crown Vic look like a Yaris

Growing up in New Jersey across from New York City, we were very familiar with Checker cabs. We actually had a Checker dealer in our town of Union and they usually had 2 cars in the showroom. One being a sedan the other was a wagon which was butt ugly. They even once had a limousine. I remember looking at the brochure and you could get your car in one of 13 colors. They had a ton of space in the back and lasted forever but were so ugly.😂

I don’t know about by 1976, but Checker used Borg Warner transmissions in the 60’s. Studebaker had to buy some kind of coupling from them when they also switched to GM engines in 1965.

Love to have one with a 292 chevy straight 6 and s-10 5speed in it.

I had one same color but with a 350 chevy in it. Great car to have as a teenager.

Decades ago, I had a summer job driving a Checker cab in New York City. Drove like a tank, seats were different, rattled and shook along with a lot of breakdowns. The cab also had jumpseats.

I’ve seen this car before in videos and stuff, but always assumed it was a car from the 50s. Never knew this thing even existed.

The Newark, NJ fire department had a few of these used for Battalion and Deputy Chiefs' cars. Red, of course, with a double-beacon lightbar.

I remember seeing these but don’t recall riding in one. Great review!

Yes Zack I've always wanted 1 of these cars. My 1st Marathon ride was in NYC in 1974. And I friend in the late 80's who had a gray A12 & when I 1st saw it, it was like seeing a unicorn. It was well worn but still in great shape, despite our Ohio winters & it was just so comfortable & he said it was like a tank, just unstoppable. PS I really enjoyed this video.

That's a Chevy Impala steering wheel from the 1971 -76 years Also the taxi checker had a dickey seats

The marathon version of this car with the swiveling seats. I... yeah. That must have been an adventure. LOL

An extremely practical car.

The car driven by de Niro in Taxi Driver.

Da horn, she works! 😊