The bright yellow Checker cab screams New York City more than anything else. These spacious taxis served New Yorkers on the streets of the Big Apple in the latter part of the 20th century, transporting them while also appearing in classic NYC movies like Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro. Morris Markin, a Russian immigrant, is to be credited with creating these sturdy taxis. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, Markin founded the Checker Cab Manufacturing Co., and by the middle of the 1950s, taxi drivers were using his sedans in all the major American cities, not just New York City.
The Checker Marathon A12 type was introduced by Checker Cab Manufacturing Co. in 1961, however it was sold to consumers as a passenger automobile rather than a taxi for fleet buyers. The 1982 Checker Marathon A12, the final year of manufacturing for the non-taxi, civilian variant, is on our focus for this article. It is painted blue with a white top, a more subdued color pattern than its taxicab contemporaries.
Checkers were never about fashion; they were about capacity, usefulness, and durability, and examples with 400,000 miles on them are not unusual. Finding a good example can be difficult because a sizable portion of production was intended for commercial usage, and many Marathons were put to death serving as taxis. The automobiles are an interesting option for someone searching for something a little unusual, but they are slow and thirsty while you're behind the wheel.
A Brief History Of The 1982 Checker Marathon
The 1963 Checker Marathon was an upgrade of the firm's 1956 A8 cab, and the new vehicle was provided for both commercial and private use. The Marathon only barely differed from its predecessor, with a little altered front bumper, and is most famously connected with the New York City streetscape of the second part of the 20th century. Along with the conventional sedan, an eight-passenger station wagon and an eight-passenger town limo with a 129-inch wheelbase were also available.
The limo was extremely pricey at the time, costing $4,625, 50% more than the standard car. Heaters, automatic two-speed transmissions, power steering, and brakes were available as options. Two Continental 226-cid six-cylinder engines were installed, one with a horsepower rating of 80 and the other of 141. Of the 7,080 Checkers that were supplied in the first year, only 1,080 were not taxis.
Over the course of the Marathon's 22-year existence, few alterations were made, and those that were made were implemented as they became feasible for the production line. In 1964, a Chrysler V-8 engine and an OHV Continental engine were both available as options for an eight-door airport bus. Checker switched to 283-cid Chevrolet V-8s and 230-cid six-cylinder motors for the 1965 model year, with 327-cid displacement options becoming available in 1966. That year also saw the optioning of an air conditioning.
In 1969, Checker produced a new DeLuxe series with a $3,984 sticker price that was approximately $1,000 higher than the entry-level cab and had the 129-inch wheelbase of the previous Town Custom. Morris Markin, the company's founder who had been in charge since 1921, passed away in 1970. When his son David took command, only the 250-cid six-cylinder and 350-cid V-8 Chevrolet engines remained as possibilities.
Disk brakes were added to the vehicles in 1972, and long-wheelbase vehicles were eliminated from the lineup in 1975. The 1977 Chevrolet V-8 engine with a reduced displacement and the tagline "Being practical is never out of style" were both sold. Through 1982, sales remained constant at around 5,000 vehicles annually, despite engines becoming smaller; in 1980, a 229-cid V-6 and a 267-cid V-8 were both offered. There were only 2,000 taxis and private cars produced before production was stopped in 1982.
A Durable Yet Inexpensive American Classic Car: The 1982 Checker Marathon
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The 1982 Marathon was one of the final Checkers to leave Kalamazoo, according to AutoWeek in 2004. The car originally served in the Windy City and continues to sport the green and cream of a Chicago Cab. Under the hood is a Chevrolet 350-cid V8 of undetermined vintage that was first fueled by propane. Originality is now often sacrificed by many Checker owners in order to keep their vehicles on the road.
In 2021, we saw the 1982 Checker Marathon being listed at ClassicCars for $21,000. A smooth Chevy 350 V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor and a GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission was installed as the engine's replacement in 1999. FantomWorks in Norfolk, Virginia, reupholstered and painted the car in 2009 after it underwent a small amount of maintenance. With a White top, the Light Blue exterior looks sleek and displays well.
Although Checker closed its doors in June 1982, the car's position as an American icon remained intact. The Checker Marathon is becoming increasingly difficult to locate, particularly one that did not serve as a taxi cab. However, at today's price, Hegarty valuation has it that this 1982 Checker Marathon would only cost $8,400. So, if you're in need of a fairly used 1982 Checker Marathon, you wouldn't have to break the bank to get a handful.