This is a Checker Marathon from 1970. It’s finished in the classic Yellow paint scheme with all the taxicab markings in place, including the checkered stripes, roof topper, the Checker Taxi logos, and the fee schedules on the doors.
This car is a Marathon A12 model, that’s the one that was built and sold to private buyers. The essentially identical Checker Taxi A11 model was the one sold to commercial buyers for use in taxicab operations – most famously in New York City.
Fast Facts – The Checker Taxi
- This is a 1970 Checker Taxi, based on the Checker Marathon A12. It’s an iconic American vehicle recognized for its durability, spaciousness, and distinctive yellow paint with checkerboard stripes down the sides. Often associated with New York City, these taxis became cultural landmarks featured in films and TV shows from the 1950s through the 1980s.
- Checker Taxis were built with a body-on-chassis design and offered multiple engine options, from inline-sixes to V8s. Known for their hardy construction and practicality, they had large trunks, wide doors, and ample rear seating, making them favorites among cab drivers and passengers alike.
- The featured vehicle, retrofitted as a taxi, includes period-correct details like a 350 cubic inch V8 engine, automatic transmission, checkered upholstery, a classic taxi meter, and Checker branding. It is finished in yellow with whitewall tires and a taxicab roof topper.
- Set to be auctioned by Mecum on January 17th with no reserve, this Checker represents a rare chance to own a piece of American automotive and cultural history. Enthusiasts appreciate its iconic design and enduring connection to mid-century urban American life.
The Checker Taxi: The Most Famous Cab In America
If you watch essentially any film or television show from the late 1950s well into the 1980s that has scenes in New York City, you can’t escape seeing Checker Taxis.
Above Video: This episode from Ed’s Auto Reviews gives a fascinating look back at this history of Checker Cabs and the history of the Checker company more broadly.
The yellow 1950s four-door sedans are moving landmarks that have become famous around the world, and they’re just as closely associated with New York as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, or the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Checker Motors Corporation has a fascinating history that dates all the way back to 1922. Originally founded by Morris Markin in Chicago the company produced a slew of automobile designs both before and after World War II, but it would be the 1959 Checker Taxi that would make the company a globally recognized brand – even today 39 years after the model left production.
The styling of the Checker Taxi was largely left alone during its 20+ year production run, however there were small changes made here and there, and marque experts can often identify the exact year of a car by its bumpers, lights, and other small features.
Construction was relatively straightforward, with a body-on-chassis design and a front-mounted engine sending power back to a live axle rear end. A significant number of engine and transmission options were offered over the years from inline-sixes up to larger capacity V8s, with both automatic and manual transmissions available depending on the model year.
The large doors, ample space in the rear passenger compartment, the large trunk, and the general tank-like toughness of the Checker Taxi endeared them to generations of cab drivers and passengers.
Today there are many surviving Checker Taxis and there’s a thriving enthusiast movement dedicated to them and their Checker Marathon siblings.
The Checker Taxi with its bright Yellow paintwork became a ubiquitous sight in New York City, and many other east coast cities right through into the 1990s. Even now, films and TV shows set in these cities in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and beyond show countless Checker Taxis on the road.
Prices on the open market can vary from $10,000+ on the lower end to $20,000+ for excellent examples – owners report that the only downside is being constantly stopped by people who want to take pictures.
The Checker Taxi Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is a 1970 A12, as noted in the introduction it’s actually a Checker Marathon that’s been retrofitted as a Checker Taxi – not a major job given that the two vehicles were close to identical.
This car has been refinished in the correct shade of Yellow. It’s also been fitted with Black steel wheels with chrome hubcaps and whitewall tires. It has Checker company checkered stripes down each side and around the roofline.
It has Checker company branding on each rear door, and the fee schedule is listed on the two front doors. There is a classic taxicab roof-topper with Checker branding, and inside you’ll find checkered upholstery on the seats and door cards, as well as a classic taxi meter on the dashboard.
This vehicle is fitted with a period-correct Monitor Mark IV air conditioning unit and a classic taxi meter on the dashboard.
This vehicle is powered by a period-correct 350 cubic inch V8 mated to an automatic transmission. It has power steering, front power disc brakes, and a Monitor Mark IV air conditioning unit.
This car is now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum on the 17th of January with no reserve price. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
