We all know Checker as a company that made taxicabs. Really, they made one iconic kind of taxi that looked like a1950s design from 1961 to 1982, but they did take that basic car, the Marathon, and do some bonkers things with it. Bonkers as in a station wagon version on a wildly stretched wheelbase and with four doors per side, for a total of eight doors and 12 passengers. This ungainly and fantastic beast was called the Checker Aerobus.
What I like about the Aerobus is that it seems that Checker at least half-assedly tried to see if they could sell it as a family car, stating in brochures that it’s just a “long, long family car.” Here, look:
I mean, none of these examples of livried Aerobuses here were a “family,” unless we somehow count the family of quality products made by the Upjohn corporation, like Motrin or Xanax. I’m not sure what family would want to drive around something this absurdly long and ungainly, but maybe there was one. I mean, these Aerobuses do offer many more doors than a local city bus, allowing for faster and easier loading and unloading, because it essentially runs in parallel as opposed to the serial operation of a normal bus with only one set of doors.
These Aerobuses look like a Google maps glitch image. They’re incredible.
I like the ones fitted with the extra round turn indicators atop the fenders, so you know. Also, look at how long that chassis is!
Also incredible is the fact that the Checker factory was once used as the backdrop of a 1970s gritty movie about working class Americans, with our portable microwaves – okay real talk. I’m so tired and I have to get up early tomorrow to do a whole bunch of video shooting and I sorta blanked out there and I have no idea why I typed “portable microwaves.” Are those even a thing? The fuck do they have to do with a Checker factory and cases of Cutty Sark for your shop steward? Nothing.
But look, here, watch the trailer for this old movie, and remember that they’re building Checker Marathons in there:
Looks like a hell of a movie! I’ve heard it’s very underrated, much like a Checker Marathon itself.
I know it’s morning for you but here, in the near past, it’s last night, and boy am I beat. I’m going to sleep.
peanut butter sandwich the long way oh yeah
Drove an Orange Checker cab in Aspen in the 80’s for High Mountain Taxi. A Beast in the snow, momentum was your friend. I remember a 6 door if I am correct. Was used for airport runs when there were no flights cue to weather.
Take a long ride under the banner of heaven.
I’ve always wanted a Checker Marathon wagon! The standard size not the XL.
Uncle Ike’s weed shop in Seattle has more than one restored Aerobus, a fine way to take your buzz around town.
Or at least they used too… https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-checker-aerobus/
My grandpa used to have a few 6 and 8 doors parked behind a barn on one of his properties. I don’t remember them well, but I wish I knew what happened to all of them! My guess would be sold for scrap…..
One of the local churches had one of those Checker Aerobuses which they used for taking groups of people out on activities. The son of the pastor in charge was in my grade, we were both involved in music so we knew each other fairly well. It’s be parked in front of his house. Never got to ride in it, but in the early 1990s, that thing was quite the novelty to see going around town.
A few other custom coach builders did these multi-port stretch coaches. There are versions based on the Olds Toronado, International Travelall, and even a a Pontiac Bonneville. https://cheaprvliving.com/automotive-weirdness-awaiting-the-right-nomads/
Great link!!
Your cell phone actually is a kind of portable microwave … just a really ineffective one.
My mom was number 8 in a family of 12 kids. The only two vehicles available at the time that accommodate full family outings was their trusty Checker Marathon while they lived in the states, and a 23 window VW Bus when they lived in South Africa. The Marathon remains infamous in family lore for having one of the door latches break and spilling out two siblings in a sharp corner.
I wonder if they ever offered the ultra-rare factory perkins diesel in the Aerobus? Might have been too slow to be safe… even by 1960s standards.
Someone had one of these they tried using locally as a limo when I was in college dubbed “The Funkbus”. It was red and ridiculous and terrific. I only ever saw it out and about a couple of times. I was really amazed when that same vehicle recently reappeared in a rather dilapidated state behind a city building in the town I currently live in. I’m quite happy to see it didn’t go to scrap.
I could perhaps see one used by a rural family in the early 60’s. that was about the time that the after WW2 families were likely at their largest and I don’t recall too many 10 passenger vans of that era…..though it was not unheard of you pack 4-6 in the very rear of the wagons with 6 in the two benches up front I suppose.
Here’s a line-up if you want a triple feature for Friday night movies:
Blue Collar
Take This Job and Shove it
Gung Ho
As a bonus you could include Taxi Driver. It was written by the guy who directed Blue Collar and the Marathon is DeNiro’s costar.
You could also watch reruns of Taxi. A marathon of Marathons!
Non-sequitur:
Was there ever a more talented cast on a network sitcom?
-Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Andy Kaufman, Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Carol Kane, and “hold me closer” Tony Danza?
Checker fans really split hairs when they talk about different generations – all Checkers from 1956-1982 used the exact same body shell and basically all the same sheet metal aft of the firewall, the A8 was the last “new” model introduced by the company. Once they went to quad headlights on the A9 in 1958, that pretty well set things to the way they’d remain till the end.
“new” is relative, since the Model A was the last completely all-new Checker, the 1982 cars were still being built on the 1940 chassis design
When I was a tot, almost every cab was a Checker. A few LTDs and Caprices here and there, but 95% Checker.
My buddy’s dad has a civilian model, from one of the last years. It was brown but he painted it yellow and put a cab light on top. I kind of liked the brown better.
While the Aerobus looks a little cartoonish, I’ve always thought the Marathon was one of the coolest looking cars ever made. They were retro before retro was cool. I always admired that they just stuck with their 1950’s design all the way into the 80’s. I wish I’d bought one when it was still possible to buy one new. I wasn’t familiar with the Aerobus, so thanks for that, Torch! Also, Blue Collar has an outstanding cast, but (at least from the trailer) it doesn’t seem like the dialogue is up to the task. Although I admit that closing line in the trailer is perfect.
There’s a really neat convertible one that comes to cars and coffee out here in Denver, if only I could post a picture.
There was a guy who lived in my neighborhood in Littleton who had Checkers including a 6 door for a time. I wonder if it’s him.
I’d like to see that! Where/when does it usually happen?
Any of the Lafayette cars and coffee every month. Cocarsandcoffee on instagram
Blue Collar is a wonderful movie. Watch it if you get the chance!
As far as I remember, they used a Checker Aerobus in Dog Day Afternoon as well
*leaves this site to go to imcdb.org*
Edit: Oh no, it was the IH version they used..
I have never liked the railroad bumpers on the Checker Marathon, although they probably did make a lot of sense in NYC in old times. Hate them even more on the Jaguar MK2.
But I do like it’s long wheelbase, so there is no need for any cut out for wheels in the rear doors. Just like on the Citroën DS. That is very classy 🙂
Richard Pryor, Yaphet Kotto, Harvey Keitel, and directed by Paul Schroeder. Oh yeah, Kalamazoo too!
They filmed at Checker specifically because all the other automakers, including American Motors, had turned them down due to the negative portrayal of management-union relations. Checker had possibly the worst UAW relationship in the industry, alongside International Harvester, and that factored heavily into shutting down the line in 1982, so it’s bizarre they didn’t have a problem with the script hitting close to home. Guess they figured, who cares, not gonna make things worse for us
Sorry, Blue collar was an incredibly shitty movie. It had some good, gritty ideas, but it watched like three movies from three different directors.
This article has the most coverage of Checkers since somebody gave Nixon a dog.
Ah, yeah, families did indeed buy those. A college classmate was the youngest of 12 kids (maybe 15? It’s been a while since college…) and had fond memories of growing up with the family Aerobus with its eight doors.
I’ve told this story several times, which must mean I’m getting old, but it’s never been more relevant:
My Dad worked for a while driving night cleaning crews around. The company bought a castoff airport limo, which was some ordinary ’60s GM sedan stretched to 8 doors like this Checker. One time our regular family hauler, a ’66 VW bus, was in the shop for the umpteenth time, and the boss let Dad bring the beast home. Did I mention I’m the youngest of 6 kids? For a couple of days we got to ride around, each with our own window seat, while the plain folk stared in awe as we passed. It was glorious.
It wasn’t a Jetway 707 by chance? These things have always fascinated me: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/toronado-based-jetway-707-oldsmobile-limo/
Nah, it was a sedan, not a wagon, and very generic-looking except for all the doors. Not even sure why I think it was GM, but it feels right from the hazy picture in my mind (I was probably about 7 years old).
I want to see that movie, now. Fun random fact- there was apparently a possibility that Yaphet Kotto could have been Picard in Star Trek TNG. I want to live in the universe where I can see that version.
My dad, who had a penchant for cheap, undesirable cars, tried to buy one of these for a few hundred dollars back in the early 90s. My mom, however accustomed to driving and riding in crappy cars, put a hard stop to it. She also vetoed him buy a Checker Marathon-based hearse for $100. In hindsight, even then parts for the Checkers were becoming problematic, so it was probably for the best after all since those things weren’t cheap without reason.
Carly Simon, Phyllis Diller and Fran Lebowitz all rolled with the King of Kalamazoo.
Wow thank you for that link.
There’s a whole bunch of dangerously inexpensive marathons and aerobuses under “checkers for sale” under that link. My first car (circa 1984) was a 1981 Checker Marathon A11, which I regret selling to this day, and I always craved an aerobus. I smell trouble…
Yeah that 82 Orange one looks awesome & it’s 4 hrs from me so I’d get that in a heartbeat if I could
Phyllis Diller also owned several Excaliburs. I guess if you are Phyllis Diller they have a lot in common, or at least complement each other.
One of my favorite things about Torch is he’ll sometimes say, “That doesn’t make sense, but it’s fun, so it’s staying in.”
Did you ever wonder if one of the main reasons they started this site was because the old site wouldn’t let Jason fully fly his freak flag?
There was a whole Torchlopnik. I think Jason flew his freak flag high and proud.
https://jalopnik.com/an-imaginary-car-from-an-imaginary-country-1962-martho-1819723285