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While Yellow Taxi cabs have found a place on the streets of America’s many cities in the same manner as the London Black Cab, the famous Checker marque, and its long history of models, is a tale steeped in corruption, crime and violence, with the notorious A11 Marathon taking its place alongside the Austin FX4 of the UK as a machine that climbed above its humble life as a service vehicle, and became an icon of New York City and American public transportation.
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References:
– Hemmings (and their respective sources)
– The Checker Cab (and their respective sources)
– Wikipedia (and its respective references)
source
What are saloon cars It’s actually Salon as is Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon
17:40 dirty, rundown and dangerous….wow history has repeated.
Just reminds me of Phoibe's car on friends 🚕🚕
Top quality history, unbeatable. 👍
I had a Marathon bought 2nd hand in "78. It had a Chevy 283 4bbl engine, 3 spd/w overdrive, manual steering and brakes. Bought in Wisconsin, loaded it up with a motorcycle and all manner of other household goods, and a 500 lb bale of burlap tied on top. Drove it to Miami, loaded the stuff on a boat to Honduras, where I was to live for 3 years, then sold the car. It gave no trouble on the trip, even though it was totally worn out and rusted out.
Outstanding video, I love automotive history and have always wondered about the origins of the Checker Marathon. Thank you
Checker cabs were the best. You could fit a party of 5 comfortably in the back.
In the 80's I used to put all my drums into a checker, plus me to play gigs.
Checkers were so iconic in film. Mr. Glass drove one in Unbreakable. There were several in DC Cab starring Mr. T. It’s hard to picture downtown streets all over America without their presence. Rest In Peace Checker.
I wonder if Madoff and Epstein ever met!!! They were both billionaires and criminal pieces of poop that everyone hates. Birds of a feather usually flock together. They both had homes in Palm Beach. Epstein was some kind of agent for the cia, fbi, or mossad using minors and sex as a way of entrapping the rich and powerful that visited his island. I don't see why Madoff couldn't have been also being used as an asset for the cia, fbi, or mossad. Those agencies need money to carry out their top secret dark, non government sanctioned missions, the type of missions the public would definitely not approve of. Missions that violate the rights civil liberties and rights the United States of America is supposed to stand for. The money they use for those missions can't be tied through the government in anyway so it would have to be acquired through different means. Financial fraud committed against the general public is a great way. Money collected from Madoff's billion dollar scam through illegal scam would have been a perfect cover for getting the money these agencies need. It's funny they bothed died in federal custody. Heart attacks can be easy to fake. The goverment has non traceable chemicals that can kill a person if they really needed to. Madoff very well could have been spending lavish amounts on himself as well as feeding money to someone else!!! Plus If Madoffs not allowed to get something out of it why would he be feeding
Many thanks for this, I've always liked these (Marathon) Taxi cabs.
my parents owned a few checker cabs back in the 1970-80's when we replaced them with the Chevy Implala
As a cab driver myself, I found this video incredibly sensible, especially the denial of the last drivers of Marathons to give up for Crown Vics or Caprices (another legends more seen in Philadelphia or DC rather than in NYC when I was last time to the East coast of the US in 2018)
"Largest Ponzi scheme"?… no, that honor belongs to Social Security.
Having grown up in NYC, I have ridden in many Checkers… the best! RIP.
I knew an insane mechanic back in the early 90s, who resto-modded 1 of those old Checker cars.
He dropped a turbocharged 383 Commando, (all over-built internals) with a build-to-the-hilt 727 Torque Flight tyranny, & had a Bulletproof rear diff in it.
He painted it dessert tan, with back Cragar rims, chrome lugs/center cap, limo smoked glass all 'round, & a black Spartan chevron on the driver's door.
Down the rear fender he had "Molon Labe" in black classic English calligraphy.
When the turbo spooled up, it was like hearing an 747 taxi down the runway. (ba'dooomp TTSSSHHHH) That mutherfVcker was HELL on wheels to drive. God I loved that car!
Since no one has mentioned it; "Rhinestone" movie with sylvester Stallone & Dolly Parton not only have a gorgeous Checker cab driven by Stallone, but also shows whats probably the only checker car chase and action sequences in movie history. Worth watching for the checker alone, singing/acting not half bad either.
Shame to see it's mostly Asian cars used as taxi's today, they look hideous, zero personality
Melancholy History..
Never liked these things. If I'd lived in New York City or wherever when they were on the roads as taxis, I would've gone out of my way to avoid using one.
I always thought these were old Chevy’s lol!!
I really enjoyed this. As a Canadian I’m not sure I have even seen a Checker in person but of course have seen plenty in movies.
I rode in many Checker cabs back in the mid 80s, probably well over 100 times. I always loved those cars and they had massive legroom in the back.
I love the Checker cars.
My Granddad had a Checkers . . . 1st car in my young life to get a GREAT impression/respects ! 🤗🇺🇸
One small correction: The brief approval of the Peugeot in NYC was the 504 Diesel. (not 505). An equally tough car with a painstakingly slow diesel that sounded like a jackhammer in cold weather.
This would be a great story , but it's narrated by a brit. I can't stand the entitled voice
You talk about Chicago, but most of the early clips are Manhattan landmarks
Omg britts love our history because they are tired of their own history which is fascinating. That group of islands has ancient history stone age in fact. They call us stupid yet they can't get enough of us.
One the cars on my Bucket List. Course that list will NEVER be realized without hitting the Lottery 😂
Really well made video! As a non-American, these cabs form an integral part of the movies we watch and the America of the 80s and 90s I've grown up watching. Always wondered about the background of these cabs. Thanks for all the information. Power to you.
well done
I used to drive cab. When I started driving for Yellow Cab all the Checkers were off the road in my town by then, but I remember getting rides in the original Checkers in the 80s. There was one cab that had rusted through the floor in the back. You could see the road as you drove along. The owner of the company bought two of the last year Checkers and parked them in his backyard. Milage was from the factory to Missoula, Montana and they were under a large car port with tarps over them. Whenever I dropped him off, I would see them. I assume they were yellow. I often wonder where those cars are now. Bullet proof is how I describe them. I happened upon a Checker at a gas station once. It was in primer and was going through a mild restoration and the owner let me check it out for far longer than I would have. I love these cars.
One of my earliest memories as a kid in the 50s in Chicago (Dad designed @ Sears) was a ride in a Checker in winter – I remember the smell and the car in general – like riding in a refrigerator; no frills built like it could go through war without a problem. Comedian Louis Nye LP cover had him in a Checker – because of his old Chicago joke: "This cab go tru-da-loop?" "No, it goes beep beep" 🚙🚗
This is what YouTube used to be. I subscribed.
I was disappointed there were not more details on the per-branch expenditures on toilet paper during the mid-30’s. History shows a lot of people were shitting themselves at that time and one can only surmise this had an impact on the development of the company. No?
Yet so many other seemingly superfluous bits of inflotsam were painstakingly included…
Same thing happened while driving a Toyota Pruis, stopped in a street and people came out of a house with luggage because they think you're an Uber.
When I was a boy 3 years old (I'm 64 now), I used the jump seats. A few years ago someone told me they were really foot rests! Now I learn they really were seats.
Interesting video
God i loved those taxis. You could practically walk into them and the interiors were HUGE. As a child i often had to ride on one of those little flip up back seats. The demise of the old Checker and Yellow cabs was one big reason i decided to move out of the big city in the early 80's. i had used taxis nearly every day and i absolutely HATED the standard sedan models that replaced them which were MUCH more difficult to get in and out of.. and were VERY confining inside !!!
Really well done… I was enthralled start to finish….. I rode in a few as a boy……
Tired left wing diatribe is not true and is tiresome. Typical English attitude to the fantastic success of America and that is why Britain is far, far less rich than it should be.
I used to own one in Los Angeles in the early 80's! It had over 1 million taxi miles on it, several different coats of paint for the different companies that it had been operated by. It had a 63 Chevy Nova engine, and it was the most amazing car I ever had. My late husband totaled a BMW while DUI in it, it was impounded, and I never saw it again.
This is so cool to see. I have a 1967 checker. It is a consumer car. It is tapioca pink. I have been slowly putting her back together. Last time she ran was 2006. I have a parts checker from 77 and it’s amazing how much can just swap over even after 10 years apart
Our neighbor the Hess’s god bless them owned two a sedan and the station wagon. They got a special place in my heart A marathon
From 1968 until 1971 (when my mom got her own car) if i got sick at school I got a ride home in a Checker Marathon taxi.
If anyone’s wondering, the Marathon (and most other Checker models) were designed by a guy named Jim Stout, who was the original designer of the Willis Jeep’s body.