Checker Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Checker Marathon was an automobile produced by the Checker Motors Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan
, between 1961 and 1982.
Marathons were produced in both four-door sedan and four-door station wagon
forms, and the rare eight-door, 12-seater "Aerobus
" wagon.
Custom and differing from the Superba with its better interior appointments. Originally, it retained the Superba's A10 body code whereas A9 was the code used for taxis. The exterior of the Marathon had a full width egg crate grille, differing from the Superba's narrower grille and inboard parking lights. After a minor facelift for 1963, chassis codes changed to A11 for taxis and A12 for passenger versions. Also in 1963 appeared the Marathon Town Custom, a limousine version on a longer (129 versus 120 inches) wheelbase. This version, which seated eight, received the A19E chassis code. A few years later, this was changed to A12E.
With the exception of United States government mandated 5 mph bumpers in 1974 and ongoing mechanical changes, the Marathon remained virtually unchanged during its 21-year production run. The final Marathon was manufactured in 1982, when Checker exited the automobile manufacturing business. The company continued operation at partial capacity making Cadillac
parts for General Motors
until January 2009 when it declared bankruptcy
Notably, the Marathon's front suspension A-frames interchange with a 1956 Ford. The engines used were originally Continental
-built L-head inline-sixes (OHV units for the wagons), but these were exchanged for Chevrolet sixes and small-block V8s
for the 1965 model year. These continued to change as Chevrolet introduced changes, peaking with the 1969 L-48 350 V8 which produced 300 hp (gross). By 1973, power for the 350 had decreased to 145 hp and in 1975 catalytic converters were introduced. For 1980 the engine lineup was changed entirely, with a 3.8 litre V6 replacing the old inline unit, and a smaller 267 ci (4.4 L) standard V8. The big news was the Oldsmobile LF9 engine, a 5737 cc diesel
V8.
of choice for New York City
and many other American cities. The size of the car (seating many passengers), the robust construction, the lack of yearly changes to the styling (simplifying parts management), and the bolt-on rear quarter panels all contributed to the Marathon's ubiquity on the streets of Manhattan
. For example, virtually any film set in New York City in the 1970s or 1980s will show a Checker Marathon. A knowledgeable Checker viewer, however, will note that many 1950s and 1960s movie scenes use Checker cabs built in the 1970s and early 1980s, since the bodies were virtually the same, and due to the lack of usable early specimens.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
, between 1961 and 1982.
Marathons were produced in both four-door sedan and four-door station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
forms, and the rare eight-door, 12-seater "Aerobus
Checker Aerobus
The Checker Aerobus is a seven- or nine-door station wagon, or a six- or eight-door sedan, manufactured on two different wheelbases by the Checker Motors Corporation from 1962 until 1977 . Meant primarily to serve as an airport shuttle, as indicated by the name, it is an extended version of the...
" wagon.
History
The Marathon was introduced in September 1960 for the 1961 model year, superseding the Checker SuperbaChecker Superba
The Checker Superba was an automobile produced by Checker Motors Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan, between 1961 and 1963. The Superba used the Checker taxi cab bodies and were produced in two trim lines, standard and Custom, both in two body styles, four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon.On...
Custom and differing from the Superba with its better interior appointments. Originally, it retained the Superba's A10 body code whereas A9 was the code used for taxis. The exterior of the Marathon had a full width egg crate grille, differing from the Superba's narrower grille and inboard parking lights. After a minor facelift for 1963, chassis codes changed to A11 for taxis and A12 for passenger versions. Also in 1963 appeared the Marathon Town Custom, a limousine version on a longer (129 versus 120 inches) wheelbase. This version, which seated eight, received the A19E chassis code. A few years later, this was changed to A12E.
With the exception of United States government mandated 5 mph bumpers in 1974 and ongoing mechanical changes, the Marathon remained virtually unchanged during its 21-year production run. The final Marathon was manufactured in 1982, when Checker exited the automobile manufacturing business. The company continued operation at partial capacity making Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
parts for General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
until January 2009 when it declared bankruptcy
Notably, the Marathon's front suspension A-frames interchange with a 1956 Ford. The engines used were originally Continental
Continental Motors Company
Continental Motors Company was an American engine and automobile manufacturer. The company produced engines for various independent manufacturers of automobiles, tractors, and stationary equipment from the 1900s through the 1960s. Continental Motors also produced Continental-branded automobiles in...
-built L-head inline-sixes (OHV units for the wagons), but these were exchanged for Chevrolet sixes and small-block V8s
Chevrolet Small-Block engine
The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of automobile V8 engines built by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors using the same basic small engine block...
for the 1965 model year. These continued to change as Chevrolet introduced changes, peaking with the 1969 L-48 350 V8 which produced 300 hp (gross). By 1973, power for the 350 had decreased to 145 hp and in 1975 catalytic converters were introduced. For 1980 the engine lineup was changed entirely, with a 3.8 litre V6 replacing the old inline unit, and a smaller 267 ci (4.4 L) standard V8. The big news was the Oldsmobile LF9 engine, a 5737 cc diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
V8.
Classic New York City Taxicab
A version of the Marathon was, during its production run, the taxicabTaxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
of choice for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and many other American cities. The size of the car (seating many passengers), the robust construction, the lack of yearly changes to the styling (simplifying parts management), and the bolt-on rear quarter panels all contributed to the Marathon's ubiquity on the streets of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. For example, virtually any film set in New York City in the 1970s or 1980s will show a Checker Marathon. A knowledgeable Checker viewer, however, will note that many 1950s and 1960s movie scenes use Checker cabs built in the 1970s and early 1980s, since the bodies were virtually the same, and due to the lack of usable early specimens.
Engines
| Six-cylinder engines | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model Years | Layout | Size | Fuel system | Power | Origin | Notes |
| 1961-1964 | L-head I6 | 3707 cc | single carb | 80 hp at 3,100 rpm | Continental Continental Motors Company Continental Motors Company was an American engine and automobile manufacturer. The company produced engines for various independent manufacturers of automobiles, tractors, and stationary equipment from the 1900s through the 1960s. Continental Motors also produced Continental-branded automobiles in... |
Sedans only until 1963 |
| 1961-1962 | OHV I6 | 3707 cc | single carb | 122 hp at 4,000 rpm | Continental | Station Wagon only |
| 1963-1964 | OHV I6 | 3707 cc | 2-bbl carb | 141 hp at 4,400 rpm | Continental | $57 option |
| 1965-1968 | OHV I6 | 3769 cc | single carb | 140 hp at 4,400 rpm | Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918... |
base |
| 1969-1970 | OHV I6 | 4095 cc | 2-bbl carb | 155 hp at 4,200 rpm | Chevrolet | base |
| 1971-1972 | 145 hp at 4,200 rpm | 110 hp SAE net | ||||
| 1973-1975 | 100 hp at 3,600 rpm | low-comp, EGR Exhaust gas recirculation In internal combustion engines, exhaust gas recirculation is a nitrogen oxide emissions reduction technique used in petrol/gasoline and diesel engines. EGR works by recirculating a portion of an engine's exhaust gas back to the engine cylinders. In a gasoline engine, this inert exhaust... |
||||
| 1976 | single carb | 105 hp at 3,800 rpm | 8.2:1 | |||
| 1977-1979 | 110 hp at 3,800 rpm | 8.3:1 | ||||
| 1980 | OHV V6 | 3751 cc | 2-bbl carb | 115 hp at 4,000 rpm | Chevrolet | |
| 1981-1982 | 110 hp at 4,200 rpm | |||||
| V8 engine V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... s |
||||||
| 1965-1967 | OHV V8 | 4638 cc | 2-bbl carb | 195 hp at 4,800 rpm | Chevrolet | |
| 1966-1968 | OHV V8 | 5354 cc | 4-bbl carb | 250 hp at 4,400 rpm | Chevrolet | 10.5:1 |
| 1969 | 235 hp at 4,800 rpm | 9.0:1 | ||||
| 1968 | OHV V8 | 5025 cc | 2-bbl carb | 200 hp at 4,600 rpm | Chevrolet | |
| 1969 | OHV V8 | 5733 cc | 4-bbl carb | 300 hp at 4,800 rpm | Chevrolet | 10.25:1 |
| 1970 | 250 hp at 4,500 rpm | 9.0:1 | ||||
| 1971-1972 | 245 hp at 4,800 rpm | 9.0:1, 165 hp SAE net | ||||
| 1973-1976 | 2-bbl carb | 145 hp at 4,000 rpm 145 hp at 3,800 rpm |
8.5:1, EGR catalyzed from 1975 |
|||
| 1977 | 4-bbl carb | 170 hp at 3,800 rpm | 8.5:1 | |||
| 1978-1979 | 160 hp at 3,800 rpm | 8.2:1 | ||||
| 1977-1979 | OHV V8 | 4999 cc | 2-bbl carb | 145 hp at 3,800 rpm | Chevrolet | 8.5:1, 8.4:1 after 1978 |
| 1980 | 155 hp at 4,000 rpm | 8.6:1 | ||||
| 1981 | 150 hp at 3,800 rpm | 8.6:1, higher torque | ||||
| 1980 | OHV V8 | 4390 cc | 2-bbl carb | 120 hp at 3,600 rpm | Chevrolet | |
| 1981-1982 | 115 hp at 4,000 rpm | electronic feedback carb | ||||
| 1980 | OHV V8 | 5737 cc | diesel Diesel engine A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber... |
125 hp at 3,600 rpm | Oldsmobile Oldsmobile Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory... |
|
| 1981-1982 | 105 hp at 3,200 rpm | improved "DX" version | ||||