The 1960 - 1969 Checker was an chance for the general world to own a strong , secure , no - frills Checker – a cable car that they ’d trusted for year as a taxi cabriolet .
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Morris Markin , a Russian immigrant who founded Checker Motors in 1922 , had one trait in mutual with Henry Ford : a distaste for change . Once you get the right design , Markin figured , it made sense to stick with it . aside from the Model T Ford , then , few automobiles have present less year - to - twelvemonth revision than the Checker .
Checkers were built tough and driven tough . When Markin entered the business in Chicago , competition from rival John Hertz ’s Yellow Taxi was anything but genteel .
Drivers who were handy with their fists were far more useful than those who but knew the city street . Through all those long time , Checker cabs rolled regularly out of the industrial plant at Kalamazoo , Michigan .
But wait ; what are hack doing in this clause ? They ’re here because Checker decided to give the general public an opportunity to repel one of the tough and dependable ( if unstylish ) super - satisfying saloon themselves .
So for the 1960 model year , Checker took its A8 taxi series , premise four year before , spiffed up the interior , and placed it on cut-rate sale as the Superba with a $ 2,542 terms tag .
A heavier four - door station Charles’s Wain also went on the market place . Except for their inside and lack of commercial-grade markings , they were about identical to the taxis that prowl the streets of nearly every American metropolis .
Those who thought the introductory model a tad too austere could pick out a Special ; but even that was n’t quite plush inside .
Customers did n’t exactly wait in frenzied lines , checkbook in hand , for a chance to take home a Checker . Still , a few hundred pragmatic soul yearly saw the virtue of a essay , down - to - earth , no - frills design , charge as " the common - sensation car America ask for . "
If Checker taxis could maintain up under the rigors of day - and - night functioning , buyers reason , surely their non - commercial-grade twin would also receive impressive longevity .
Go to the next page to find out about the styling of the 1960 , 1961 , 1962 , 1963 , 1964 , 1965 , 1966 , 1967 , 1968 , 1969 Checker .
For more information on cars, see:
1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 Checker
give to the dependability of the 1960 , 1961 , 1962 , 1963 , 1964 , 1965 , 1966 , 1967 , 1968 , 1969 Checker was the 226 - cid Continental six - piston chamber locomotive , offered in either L - question ( 80 horsepower ) or overhead - valve ( 122 bhp ) form . Sizable torque peaked at only 1,400 or 1,800 rpm , permit smooth speedup without constant downshifts .
Longer in wheelbase than the typical American sedan , Checkers were myopic overall , valuate just 199.5 in . As many as eight passengers could ride in sensible comfort inside a Superba , through use of optional twin jump seats in the back , bask a hump - free flooring . Wide doorway made it easy to climb up in and out .
For 1961 , a new Marathon sedan replace the initial Superba Special , and all sedan chair interchange from 15 - inch to 14 - column inch tyre . Wagons adopted the ohv locomotive engine as standard .
price array from $ 2,542 for a Superba sedan to $ 3,004 for a Marathon black Maria . Checker client had a growing choice listing , include air conditioning , power steering , and an automatic transmission . By the end of the sixties , the selection include bucket tooshie , a vinyl radical roof , two - tone paint , and Powr - Lok rear axle .
Sedans reverted to 15 - inch tires in 1962 . New that yr was a Town Custom Limousine on a 129 - inch wheelbase ( nine inches longer than normal ) , carrying a hefty $ 7,500 cost tag along with its vinyl top and glassed - in driver ’s compartment .
Overhead - valve engine output get a rise for 1963 , to 141 HP . In 1964 the Superba name was drop , so all standard - size Checkers were called Marathons .
Probably the most significant change was a switch from Continental to Chevrolet locomotive engine for 1965 . The initial list included a 230 - cid six ( 140 bhp ) , a 283 - cid V-8 ( 195 bhp ) for $ 110 extra , and 327 V-8 ( 250 bhp ) .
Either an machinelike transmission or overdrive was available , at $ 248 and $ 108 ( respectively ) . " No other auto looks like … is establish like … rides like … The Checker Marathon , " trumpeted the mid-1960s sale literature .
A Marathon Deluxe sedan add up in 1966 , as well as a lower - priced ( $ 4,541 ) limousine . Both drop out the undermentioned year , but shortly returned . A 307 - cid V-8 became uncommitted in 1968 , and a 350 - cid in 1969 .
By that time , the basic Marathon was selling for $ 3,290 , a long - wheelbase Deluxe for $ 3,983 , and the limousine go away for $ 4,957 . At the end of 1968 , a 327 V-8 be an extra $ 108 , and the 350 V-8 impart $ 194 . Perkins Rudolf Diesel power also was available , at an eye - opening $ 1,279 .
Checker yield slumped in the 1970s when Morris Markin died and his son David take over . By mid-1982 , the last Checker rolled off the assembly line .
The fact that so many Checkers remain on the street , both in taxi and in private owned form , attests to the practical design and rugged build quality of this unyielding and unusual automobile .
For 1960 , 1961 , 1962 , 1963 , 1964 , 1965 , 1966 , 1967 , 1968 , 1969 Checker spec , continue on to the next page .
1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 Checker Specifications
Although the 1960 - 1969 Checker had a nice political campaign , sale began to fall off in the 1970s when Morris Markin died and his Word David took over . The last Checker was produced in mid-1982 .
Specifications
engine : 1960 - 1964L - drumhead I-6 , 226 cid ( 3.31 × 4.38 ) , 80 bhp;1960 - 1962ohv I-6 , 226 Criminal Investigation Command , 122 bhp;1963 - 1964ohv I-6 , 141 bhp;1965 - 1968ohv I-6 , 230 cid ( 3.88 × 3.25 ) , 140 bhp;1969ohv I-6 , 250 cid ( 3.88 × 3.53 ) , 155 bhp;1965 - 1966ohv V-8 , 283 cid ( 3.88 × 3.00 ) , 195 bhp;1965 - 1967ohv V-8 , 327 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.00 × 3.25 ) , 250 bhp;1968275 bhp;1969235 bhp;1968ohv V-8 , 307 Criminal Investigation Command ( 3.88 × 3.25 ) , 200 bhp;1969350 cid ( 4.00 × 3.48 ) , 300 bhp
Transmission:3 - hurrying manual ; optional Dual - Range reflex
Suspension , front : upper and lower A - arms , coil bound , stabilizer prevention
dangling , rear : live axle , leaf saltation
Brakes : front / rearward drums
Wheelbase ( in.):120.0
Town Custom / Deluxe wheelbase ( in.):129.0
weightiness ( lbs.):3,320 - 5,000
Top Speed ( mph):90 - 112
0 - 60 mph ( sec):V-8 10.8
Note : A few Checkers were built in 1964 with Chrysler engine .
