Checker Marathon

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Checker Marathon
Checker-Marathon-2.jpg
Checker Marathon sedan
Overview
Manufacturer Checker Motors Corporation
ProductionSeptember 1960–1982
Model years 1961–1982
AssemblyUnited States: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Body and chassis
Class Mid-size car
Body style 4-door sedan
5-door station wagon
Layout FR layout
Related Checker Superba
Checker Aerobus
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase 120 in (3,048 mm)
129 in (3,277 mm) (limousine)

The Checker Marathon was an automobile produced by the Checker Motors Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, between 1960 and 1982. It was marketed as a passenger car for consumers, as opposed to the similar Taxi, which was aimed at fleet buyers.

Contents

History

Marathons were produced in both four-door sedan and four-door station wagon forms, and the rarer six-door 9-seater and eight-door, 12-seater "Aerobus" sedans and wagons.

The Marathon was introduced in September 1960 for the 1961 model year, alongside, and later superseding, the Checker Superba 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. [1] Also in 1963, the Marathon Town Custom, a limousine version on a longer (129 versus 120 in) wheelbase appeared. This version, which seated eight, received the A19E chassis code. [2] A few years later, this was changed to A12E.

Checker did not have a nationwide dealer network and sold most of its production for fleet service. [3]

Technical changes

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. However, Checker did comply with all safety and emissions requirements while in production. Notably, the Marathon's front suspension A-frames interchange with a 1956 Ford.

Some of these changes help in identifying the year of a Checker, and included:

Engines

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. [4] These continued to change as Chevrolet introduced modifications, peaking with the 1969 L-48 350 V8 which produced 300 hp (224 kW) (gross). [5] In 1969 the Perkins 4.236, a 3.9 L (236 cu in) naturally aspirated, four-cylinder diesel engine was available as an option for all models, but for only one year. By 1973, power for the 350 had decreased to 145 hp (108 kW) 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 4.4 L (267 cu in) standard V8. The big news was the Oldsmobile LF9 engine, a 5.7 L (350 cu in) diesel V8. [6]

Six-cylinder engines
Model YearsLayoutSizeFuel systemPowerOriginNotes
1961–1964 L-head I6 226 cu in (3,707 cc)single carb 80 hp (60 kW) at 3,100 rpm Continental Sedans only until 1963
1961–1962 OHV I6226 cu in (3,707 cc)single carb122 hp (91 kW) at 4,000 rpmContinentalStation Wagon only
1963–1964OHV I6226 cu in (3,707 cc)2-bbl carb141 hp (105 kW) at 4,400 rpmContinental$57 option
1965–1968OHV I6 230 cu in (3,769 cc) single carb140 hp (104 kW) at 4,400 rpm Chevrolet base
1969–1970OHV I6 250 cu in (4,095 cc) 2-bbl carb155 hp (116 kW) at 4,200 rpmChevroletbase
1971–1972145 hp (108 kW) at 4,200 rpm110 hp SAE net
1973–1975100 hp (75 kW) at 3,600 rpmlow-comp, EGR
1976single carb105 hp (78 kW) at 3,800 rpm8.2:1
1977–1979110 hp (82 kW) at 3,800 rpm8.3:1
1980OHV V6 229 cu in (3,751 cc) 2-bbl carb115 hp (86 kW) at 4,000 rpmChevrolet
1981–1982110 hp (82 kW) at 4,200 rpmLC3, electronic feedback carb (Rochester DualJet)
V8 engines
1965–1967OHV V8 283 cu in (4,638 cc) 2-bbl carb195 hp (145 kW) at 4,800 rpmChevrolet
1966–1968OHV V8 327 cu in (5,354 cc) 4-bbl carb250 hp (186 kW) at 4,400 rpmChevrolet10.5:1
1969235 hp (175 kW) at 4,800 rpm9.0:1
1968OHV V8 307 cu in (5,025 cc) 2-bbl carb200 hp (149 kW) at 4,600 rpmChevrolet
1969OHV V8 350 cu in (5,733 cc) 4-bbl carb300 hp (224 kW) at 4,800 rpmChevrolet10.25:1
1970250 hp (186 kW) at 4,500 rpm9.0:1
1971–1972245 hp (183 kW) at 4,800 rpm9.0:1, 165 hp SAE net
1973–19762-bbl carb145 hp (108 kW) at 4,000 rpm
145 hp (108 kW) at 3,800 rpm		8.5:1, EGR
catalyzed from 1975
19774-bbl carb170 hp (127 kW) at 3,800 rpm8.5:1
1978–1979160 hp (119 kW) at 3,800 rpm8.2:1
1977–1979OHV V8 305 cu in (4,999 cc) 2-bbl carb145 hp (108 kW) at 3,800 rpmChevrolet8.5:1, 8.4:1 after 1978
1980155 hp (116 kW) at 4,000 rpm8.6:1
1981150 hp (112 kW) at 3,800 rpm8.6:1, higher torque (LG4)
1980OHV V8 268 cu in (4,390 cc) 2-bbl carb120 hp (89 kW) at 3,600 rpmChevrolet
1981–1982115 hp (86 kW) at 4,000 rpmL39, electronic feedback carb (Rochester DualJet)
Diesel engines
1969OHV I4 236 cu in (3,863 cc) diesel 82 hp (61 kW) at 2,800 rpm Perkins
1980OHV V8 350 cu in (5,737 cc) 125 hp (93 kW) at 3,600 rpm Oldsmobile
1981–1982105 hp (78 kW) at 3,200 rpmimproved "DX" version (LF9)
  : SAE gross figures, others are SAE net

End of Production

The final Marathon was manufactured in 1982, when Checker exited the automobile manufacturing business. In 1983 Checker started a remanufacturing operation at the Kalamazoo Cab Services division. Checker continued remanufacturing cabs as late as 1997. The company continued operations for an additional 27 years producing body stampings for General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, until January 2009, when it entered bankruptcy liquidation as a result of the downturn in the USA auto industry. [7]

Fleet usage

A restored Checker Marathon taxi in use as a wedding car Checker Taxi Madison Sq jeh.jpg
A restored Checker Marathon taxi in use as a wedding car

New York City

For decades, Checker was the taxicab 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 (especially the 1958 and later models, simplifying parts management), and the bolt-on rear quarter panels all contributed to the Marathon's ubiquity on the streets of Manhattan.

The last New York City Checker cab retired in 1999, operated by Earl Johnson from 1978 onwards. The Marathon covered nearly one million miles and had three engine replacements over the years. [8] [9]

Most films set in New York City in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s will show a Checker Marathon. Many movies set in the 1950s and 1960s 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. Also, in works depicting the Soviet Union or East Bloc countries, such as the film Gorky Park [ citation needed ] and the original Mission: Impossible [10] television series, Checker Marathons were used to depict Soviet-made GAZ-13 Chaika automobiles.

Kalamazoo

Apart from taxicab use, Marathons were also bought by police departments, most notably in Kalamazoo, where Checker had its factory. [11]

The Vatican

In the late 1960s and into the early 1970s, some black SCV-plated (Stato Città del Vaticano - Vatican City) A12 Marathons were used to accommodate Pope Paul VI's entourage in motorcades.

References

  1. ↑ Naul, G. Marshall (1999). Ron Kowalke (ed.). Standard Catalog of Independents: The Struggle to Survive Among Giants . Iola, WI: Krause Publications, Inc. pp.  32–33. ISBN   0-87341-569-8.
  2. ↑ Standard Catalog of Independents, p. 34
  3. ↑ J. "Kelly" Flory (2008). American Cars, 1946-1959: Every Model, Year by Year. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. ISBN   978-0-7864-3229-5. p.1
  4. ↑ Standard Catalog of Independents, p. 35
  5. ↑ Standard Catalog of Independents, pp. 36–37
  6. ↑ Standard Catalog of Independents, p. 41
  7. ↑ Evans, Scott (20 January 2009). "Checker Motor Corp., Former Taxi Cab Builder, Files for Bankruptcy". Motor Trend . Retrieved 7 April 2009..
  8. ↑ "Unrestorable: 1978 Checker New York Yellow cab". Hagerty Media. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  9. ↑ "Last New York Checker Turns Off Its Meter for Good". New York Times. 1999-07-27. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  10. ↑ "Checker Marathon in "Mission: Impossible"".
  11. ↑ Policeyskye mashiny mira. Nr. 35. Checker Marathon (in Russian). De Agostini, 2014. ISSN 2305-3992.
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