Checkers 4 Failed Attempts to Replace Their Iconic Cab 

Same. I wish toyota still offered its 20r engine pickups. Those were so reliable. Same with chevy 327 v8 models.

True, he found something that worked and stuck with it!

@@privateprivate1865 Can you imagine if Checker made a simple but robust minivan powered by a 20r or 22R engine? The cabbies would have loved them.

@@jkeelsnc i think they would have too. Great engines.

The "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" strategy has its pros and cons. Pros: - holding on to a certain design assures customers that that design will keep on being supported for a long time - the quality will pretty much stay the same - the cars are instantly recognisable Cons: - as the design gets more and more out of date, it becomes harder to upgrade it to modern standards - the design gets really outdated - you create a very defined but relatively small customer base and pretty much can forget about expanding that customer base (Harley Davidson anyone?)

Is that in Michigan?

Yes - and the Caprice was an inferior product for use as a taxicab. Inferior from the passenger's standpoint. Inferior from the drivers' standpoint, and ultimately inferior from the standpoint of the taxi company ownership.

No Checker was different because they had always been a low volume builder specializing in cabs.

It wasn't just because you were a little fellow. It really was huge. 😄

I read a story back in the 1990s about all the tortures they inflict on a new model to verify its suitability for police use: things like jumping curbs and idling for 10 hours at a time. It's no surprise that only a few models in each decade ever make a dent in that market. A cop once told me that they drove around in Fairmonts for a few years, but they tended to get destroyed, so they went back to Caprices and Crown Vics. Come to think of it, I wouldn't want to try to fit a suspect into the back of a standard-length Fairmont with his hands cuffed behind his back; sound like a law suit waiting to happen.

Montrose, CO bought several Novas for city police use in the early 70s. They didn't last long. I worked at the body shop and my job was to install the spotlights.

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback and sub!

You've gotta sound like Gilbert Gottfried or no one will care. Voice of an angel that man had.

@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 lol

@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 i know huh. Gilbert was cool.. but i didn't like his persona voice Im just getting old and have low tolerance for obnoxious noise

@@privateprivate1865 I couldn't imitate his voice if I wanted too...

Awesome, thank you!

I agree

@@DinoLondis Thank you!

Amen to that

😅

You beat me to the punch, lol, well said!!

when we bought a 106-y.o. house in 1999, we bought a 1983 U.S. assembled Rabbit Diesel pickup -- 45-mpg and handled great -- heel-toe downshift at the start of a curve and the front tucks right in, and you can floor it at the apex -- used to leave BMWs behind on interstate on-ramps ;-)

That X body (80-85) was the beginning of the descent into FWD, and cheapening. Had been a customer then, would have bought the Malibu, no ifs or buts.

I actually saw one at a wreckers here a few months ago. I was surprised. I'm going to the same wreckers in a couple days, if it's still there, I'm gonna grab the Citation emblem - I used to collect them as a kid lol.

I know two individuals in my community who each have one of the Rabbit diesel pickups. I knew of a third man in a neighboring town with one, but he died several years ago. The two I know of are still going and going and going.

Many thanks!

Nor have I (lived in the country a bit)... but like I mentioned at the beginning of the History of video, we've all seen them in the 70s and 80's TV shows and movies (heck, there was one called "Taxi"!). But like you I knew almost nothing about them, and found the story fascinating! Really appreciate you being here! Thanks!

There was also the movie “Taxi Driver”

@@robertdragoff6909 I believe I have seen Taxi Driver once, but being in my mid thirties, I didn’t grow up on a lot of TV/ movies from that era.

@@AllCarswithJon Lucky for you guys who grew up where there weren't that many taxis. I grew up to have a deep, and well justified hatred toward all taxi drivers and companies (including all rideshare companies and their drivers), but Taxi is one of my all time favorite TV shows, and I _LOVE_ the Checker cab. I used to know somebody that owned one and I was so jealous. The thing was about the same size as my Suburban!

Glad you enjoyed it. the disadvantage of reading about 'car stuff' is you stumble across something relatively obscure (Checker made cars?) and the next thing you know days have passed, you've written a rought 'script' and you're filming a video! :) :) :)

@@AllCarswithJon Sorry to point out that you got a number of things wrong. a) Checker, like all small automakers, knew that they couldn't pass the regulation planned for the future in terms of emissions, fuel economy, crash safety. b) Checker had developed a very bad reputation for rust damage to the frame and the body, with most of their sales being in the rust belt, [ The competition switched to galvanized steel, and other rust protection while Checker didn't even bother to pain the inside of their frames and interior body cavities so they rusted out quickly and catastrophically ] c) There also was a prototype body for a postal delivery truck that used the rabbit / golf drive-train, and there were engines that were powerful enough to make a taxi as this engine was used on the South Africa Kombi Taxis [ r-4 & I-5 cylinder Vanagons ] d) The return for their investment as a parts supplier was much higher than that of their taxis, e) The process of making Duraplast panels had been worked out years before in the DDR for the Trabont, f} Checker was competing with used Police Cars in their market. Taxi Companies were able to purchase better cars with heavy duty: suspension, brakes, steering, automatic transmissions, alternators, etc. They also got preferred sales of these used Police Cars by guaranteeing that all the Police Hardware would be Removed and Destroyed... [ while the Police Interceptor Engines had a high fuel consumption, they would be replaced with a V6 or small V8 when the first engine rebuild was needed...] If any of these designs made sense, they would have continued to make taxis, but they didn't. The last two years of Checker Cabs were Propane Powered, with the dangerous jump seats removed, knowing that they would have to stop production. As they couldn't compete with used Police Cars that had 50 k miles and cost $2000 or less and still outlasted a new Checker Cab....

Many thanks!

Appreciate it!!

Thanks for sharing.... I mean, in what world would a taxi-building company think a 2-dr station wagon was worth making??

Glad you enjoyed it!

Happy to help!

Thank you very much!

The final Studebaker prototype had the diagonally interchangeable doors.

@@seed_drill7135 Geez, you beat me to it by 22 hours. I think Brooks Stevens had designed that car.

AMC messed around with the idea in the late 60s. There was a concept car (Cavalier iirc) that made the rounds. I'm pretty sure that it only used two fenders and two doors. The trunk and hood might have been the same too. They did use certain body parts on Hornets and Pacers that were the same front and back. Bumpers for sure.

Thank you 👍

Thanks for sharing! I have to admit, I now wish the idea of using the phrase "A Checkered Past" had occurred to me about a week ago... :(

Was just about to say same thing!!

I thought it was a TV plant that got re-purposed?

My bad. Trust me, I've had many many people correct me. :)

There was definite status to owning a Cadillac from Potamkin, especially the location around Rt 46 in Little Falls / Totowa NJ ;-)

I was born in late autumn 1963. First car of my memory was Dad's blue-green 64 Ford Country Sedan. I was accustomed to "stepping down" and transmission tunnels from the git-go.

THE MARATHON WASN'T THE CAB MODEL. IT WAS THE CIVILIAN , FAMILY SEDAN. THE CAB MODEL HAD A HEAVIER DUTY CAB PACKAGE.

@@captainamericaamerica8090 NOBODY CARES. IT'S WHAT EVERYONE CALLS THEM. VOLKSWAGEN DIDN'T CALL THEIR CAR THE BEETLE BUT IT'S STILL WHAT PEOPLE SAY.

@@chrisdavidson911 Der Käfer?

@@captainamericaamerica8090WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING?

Lol

He did a lot with the Penske file. And look how they ended up.

MARATHONS WEREN'T THE CAB MODELS. THEY WERE THE FAMILY SEDANS.

I've had the London Taxi suggested and added it to the list. Great recommendation!

Awesome, thank you!

Glad you enjoyed it

🤭

Thanks. I admit that phrase was unscripted and I'm quite proud of it. :) LOL

I am not a Chrysler, Dodge or Plymouth fan but a checker taxi cab based on the "K" car body with a Rear Wheel Drive chasis would have been a very dependable taxi, and the front nose would have looked very distinguished.

Ah yes. I had to google that but instantly recognized it!

Welcome to the community!

And the taxi companies knew that customers would ride in almost any model taxi if the alternative was no taxi!

And Xerox had all of the early versions of computing technology we take for granted now. They could have owned the entire personal computer market for decades but the stodgy fools at HQ didn't understand what they had at the PARC lab in California and didn't seem to care or have the vision to see the possibility of the technology they owned.

Remember the Travelall?

@@5610winston the Mark 1 Travelall was probably the perfect body style for a universal do-everything taxi, it's like a small school bus

@@chrisdavidson911 Austin FX4 has entered the chat

I would of thought they should of teamed up with Studebaker-Packard and used a version of the Checker as the Packard and morphed into the professional car, police, ambulance and handicapped transport markets. one of the hallmarks of the Checker taxi was room booth in the back seat and the trunk. Cops and paramedics tend to carry a lot of gear a Checker/Packard/Studebaker would of given them the room, performance and durability. The other alternative would of been AMC which may of given them similar market access and at least a rudimentary dealer network.

Not exactly sure how a gas guzzling vehicle, like an International Scout would have been necessary in a city environment, especially during the 1980s. Even if they did there is just not enough volume for purpose built taxi vehicles to sustain the economies of scale for profitability.

Interesting, i've never heard of that. Thanks!

I have, in fact, seen the MV-1 in my area. Perhaps twice.

I've seen MV-1s, a local Ambu-cab had one until recently I thought what killed them was Ford stopping Panther Production, no more Crown Vic frames.

Used to be one in Winston-Salem a few year back.

@@chada75 heck we had one in Britt Iowa, you've probably never heard of Britt Iowa unless you're really into Hobos, Draft horses or radial arm and panel saws.

I know, I know.... just can't correct it now the video's out. :)

@@AllCarswithJon I really enjoy the videos and appreciate the work in doing the research

Thanks for the comment, several have already corrected my pronounciation. :) Growing up and living in the south, I've never heard of him until I did the video. Sorry I got the name wrong. :)

@@AllCarswithJon Here's one of Potamkin's ads, so you can hear Luba pronounce it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iT5Z80AD0Z4.html

There was also a battleship.

Thank you!

I’ve heard that in Germany and Europe, Mercedes doesn’t have the luxury status they do in the US. It makes sense since in Europe they offer a full range of vehicles including trucks and compacts, whereas in the US it’s only luxury cars and SUVs.

Very interesting story from your youth there! I love it when the participants of these historic times show up and add details. Thank you! Soooo....I guess you never got that Marathon family car, huh?

@@k.b.tidwell no there was no divorce.....

@@loulechner HAHAHAAAAAA!!!

Me too!

Me to, the '55 Chevy was the best design of the 50"s

If you have any sources please let me know! I've never heard such a thing, haven't seen it on any of the Checker fan sites, and a quick google search just now turned up zero. You've got me curious.