Escape
from New York
________________________________________________________________
 Checker! Mit dem legendären
New York-Taxi von
Manhattan nach Hollywood
Reich-Verlag, Luzern, Switzerland
Reihe Terra Magica
1. edition 2001
144 pages, 106 color-photographs
34,90 Euro (approx. US-$ 30)
ISBN 3-7243-0365-3
What do Robert de Niro, Al Pacino and Kurt Russell have in common? Well, they were all
acted in films featuring one of Hollywood's most famous movie cars: the chubby Checker
taxi.
The mother of all taxicabs was first introduced in 1959 and until 1982, when the
Checker Motors Corporation stopped making cars, there were only minor changes to the
exterior look.
For years Checker held the Guinness Book of Records' distinction of being
the only car to cover over a million miles (1.6 million km) with the same
engine. A number of Checker cars have exeeded that magic mark and most made
800 000km-plus with ease.
Of the many thousands of Checker cabs that once cruised the big American cities -
mainly New York, where it appeared in its characteristic yellow war paint - only a
handful are left. The original Checker taxi is now a sought-after collector’s item.
Big Apples? Typical pedestrians in
Daytona Beach
The last two official New York Checker taxis retired in 1999, one
with 640 000km on the clock, the other one with more than double that. The very last one,
owned by the Jamaican driver Earl Johnson, was sold at Sotheby’s in New York in
December 1999 for an unbelievable $134 500 to an anonymous phone bidder. That’s about
nine times what Earl originally paid for it. He is now happily retired in Jamaica, where
he runs a Bed & Breakfast establishment with his wife.
The strict rules of the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) denied the two
last Checkers another go, after they both failed their last technical inspection.
Checker taxis were built to last, strong as tanks, with a mighty X-braced chassis,
independent front suspension, and a live axle of monstrous girth supported by heavy-duty
shocks and massive leaf springs at the rear.
In 1973, tougher federal regulation forced car manufacturers to install front bumpers
capable of withstanding 10 km/h crashes. Instead of the ugly black plastic protrusions
fitted on the cars of its competitiors, Checker opted for something different and very
characteristic: an enormous aluminium-alloy bumper that looked like it had been borrowed
from a Mack truck. Even in rush hour traffic the mere sight of those bumpers enabled
Checker drivers to get the right of way without arguments.
 click here to
view more photos
The coffee table book "Checker! - Im legendären New
York-Taxi von Manhattan nach Hollywood" , published in Switzerland is a
visual celebration of this American icon. We planned the book project for almost ten years
and are very happy with the result. As it is the very first book about this rather not so
well-known American manufacturer we added, beside the taxi trip from Manhattan to
Hollywood, a comprehensive historic section, a chapter about taxis in New York and
Checkers in the movies. Everything you need to know about Checkers - from spare parts to
clubs - you will find in the Yellow Pages.
Checker rental
Checkers in
the movies
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Last updated:
January 25, 2009 |