I grew up in a small city with exactly zero Checker cabs roaming the streets.
It was our community’s loss because the Checkers were built for hard use as people-haulers and could take a lot of punishment in that role.
Jim Sutherland
The Checkers were a huge part of the transportation scene in major American cities like Chicago and, most famously, a quiet little town known as New York. The demands of a city that never slept meant cab customers were abundant at any hour of the day if they wanted to avoid New York’s subway users, enough of whom looked and acted like subterranean creatures to make Checker cabs a better choice.
I have seen enough films about New York to become very familiar with the Checker’s presence on the streets of the famous city during their heyday. Throw in the TV show ‘Taxi’ and I have also witnessed the Checker’s stardom as a background prop that gave the sit-com more authenticity as a New York cab company.
The link between Checker cabs and New York was an unbreakable bond for many decades before the famous taxi builder folded up its tent in 1982. Checker fans will note the company continued as a parts supplier for other domestic car manufacturers for many years after the last Checker rolled off the assembly line, but the car brand was no longer an option for hacks after 1982.
It was a long time before I actually saw a Checker cab up close and personal. In fact, it was long after the famous taxi brand was even used as a cab for hire, but it was still a monumental moment when I saw one in person.
My first Checker car sighting was one of its most famous models built between 1958 and 1982, a timeline that reflected the Checker’s resistance to massive style changes over the years. The Checker was a car built for function and its builder resisted the massive ebb and flow of design changes over the decades.
Instead, the Checker car company concentrated on its durability and passenger comfort. Checkers had massive frames with a driveshaft that went through the frame. The result was a flat passenger floor and happier customers.
Checker cabs had extended rear passenger quarters with enough room to fit in more people because they were equipped with extra jump seats in the back. The net result was a Checker cab that could likely fit in the entire Walton family or the starters on an NBA team if the need arose during a shift.
The final model of the Checker cab was locked firmly in the 1950s in terms of overall style, but its tumultuous final years were handicapped by excessive gas prices and new legislation that targeted safety and emission issues on passenger cars.
The Checker experimented with various powertrain combinations from other car builders (mostly General Motors) over the years but was unable to deliver a winning combination of performance and economy.
Checker’s final fate as a car builder was decided by a disastrous red ink bath initiated by poor gas economy and heavy competition from the Big Three for the fleet car market.
The last Checker car rolled off its Kalamazoo, Michigan assembly line in July 1982 and ended the long history of an iconic purpose-built car specifically designed for battle on the mean streets of major US cities.
It was a sad day for a very cool taxicab.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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