A Shop Dropped A Checker Taxi Onto A BMW 750iL V12, Making A Glorious Abomination

I’ve been searching for one final addition to my fleet lately, and my purchase of the Bishop’s BMW E39 wagon has me on the search for a cheap holy grail: the 750iL and its silky-smooth V12. I found one and, well, it’s not what anyone would expect. Someone apparently saw an old Checker taxi and thought it would pair well to a hacked up BMW 750iL.

As you all know, every week I round up my favorite used vehicles for sale in America and abroad. At first, I searched Craigslist and Facebook, but I’ve been finding some great vehicles by spreading out to Hemmings and used car dealerships. As it turns out, eBay Motors is pretty awesome, too, and it’s where I’ve found those rare diesel motorcycles that I’ve been drooling over. It’s also the home to this Frankenstein’s monster of a BMW Checker cab.

It appears that the folks of the Drive found it first, and the vehicle is currently up for auction on eBay in Springfield, Missouri. There are four days left in the auction and bidding is currently up to $6,100 with 19 bids.

As far as how this came to be? It’s the work of Quebec shop Doom Custom. Looking at the shop’s album of the build, Doom Custom started off with a 2001 BMW 750iL. That makes it from the very last year of the third-generation E38 7 Series.

The BMW

The first 750i launched in 1987 in the second-generation of the 7 Series. That car had an imposing look and features like standard ABS, optional Park Distance Control and dual-pane glass. Later examples got a refrigerator, car phone, and Xenon headlights. This was the pinnacle of BMW engineering at the time, and it sported a 5.0-liter M70B50 V12 making 296 HP and 332 lb-ft torque under the hood. BMW notes that its V12 was the first of its kind used in German cars since 1945.

BMW followed it up with the E38 in 1994, and once again, the sequel would follow the same line of technological improvement. The automaker claims it was the first German brand to have a navigation system and, in 1996, standard side airbags for the front occupants. A year later, rear seat occupants got their own airbags.

The design got an evolutionary update and the engines got a bit nutty. BMW sold the E38 with optional diesel engines that got as powerful as the 3.9-liter M67 V8 that made 241 HP and 413 lb-ft torque. BMW claimed to have the most powerful diesel passenger car with that unit.

The V12 got an upgrade, too. Now it was a 5.4-liter M73 powerplant making 322 HP and 361 lb-ft torque. It’s unclear what motivation Doom Custom had to chop up a final year E38, but it lost most of its structure above the floorpan to make room for a taxi.

Ah yes, that’s the other part of this equation.

The Checker

The other vehicle here started life as a 1981 Checker Taxicab, also known as the Marathon in its non-fleet form. As with so many weird old cars, our Jason Torchinsky has written about these before:

The Checker Marathon is best known as the iconic New York City taxicab. It’s also one of the cars that saw the least changes in its lifetime, with a 1960 model looking just about identical to the last ones made in 1982.

The Kalamazoo Public Library notes that the last legal Checker cab in New York City operated on July 27, 1999. The ubiquitous NYC cabbie was dead and Checker was no longer manufacturing cars, continuing on as a supplier. The company survived long enough to get killed off in the Great Recession. It filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and the business was sold off to Canadian suppliers, rendering Checker dead in 2010.

As the Truth About Cars writes, development on what would become the Taxicab and Marathon started in 1955. The vehicle was designed to meet new taxi regulations in Manhattan and, like any good taxi, its main feature was tons of interior space for passengers. The Marathon had a nifty flat floor and there were jump seats available that when deployed, provided enough space for up to five passengers.

The publication goes on to note that Checker was profitable making just 6,000 to 8,000 vehicles a year, but the company found itself losing ground after taxi regulations loosened, allowing the Big Three to scoop up market share. In 1981, Checker posted its first loss in around 60 years of existence. Adamson Industries revived the Checker name in 2014 and even promised a pickup and a limo to be released in 2018, but it appears that the new Checkers have yet to enter into production.

In 1981, a Chevrolet 305 gave the Marathon an output of 155 HP. So, what if you wanted your Marathon to have a more luxurious interior and V12 power? Well, you could do an engine swap and custom work, or you could chop the body off of the Marathon and lower it onto your chopped up BMW 750iL.

The Completed Monster

That’s exactly what Doom Custom did and the end result is nasty, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. This is absurd in the best way, from that V12 housed in the cabbie’s engine bay to the BMW interior sort of just sitting there, mixed in with the Marathon’s original door panels.

Now, one question that you’re bound to have with customs like this is ,what does the VIN say? According to the seller, the Checker VIN was retained, and it started life as a Taxicab.

As for how this vehicle drives, the seller says that the vehicle’s systems are intact, including the OBD-II port. Total mileage is unknown for either of the donor vehicles and the seller notes that the six-speed automatic has gotten all slippy.

Sadly, I was not able to get any additional information from Doom Custom and the shop may no longer exist. What I can tell you is that this is probably one of the dumbest, yet best purchases that you could make. It’s only an old taxi welded to an old BMW, what could go wrong?

If you’re as enamored with this creation as I am, head to eBay and place your bid. If you get it and fix ol’ slippy, I’d love to drive it!

Update: Well, one thing could go wrong. A blog reported this vehicle stolen in 2020, but it was never updated. So, definitely make sure the seller can prove that they’re not selling you a stolen vehicle. A VIN check can also help.

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