The Checker Aerobus is an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

manufactured on two different wheelbases by the

Checker Motors Corporation Checker Motors Corporation was a Kalamazoo, Michigan, vehicle manufacturer and tier-one subcontractor that manufactured taxicabs used by Checker Taxi. Morris Markin established the company in 1922, initially named the Checker Cab Manufacturing ...

from 1962 until 1977. Meant primarily to serve as an airport shuttle, as indicated by the name, it is an extended version of the iconic

Checker Marathon The Checker Marathon is an automobile produced by the Checker Motors Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, between 1961 and 1982. It was marketed as a passenger car for consumers, as opposed to the similar Taxi, which was aimed at fleet buyers. ...

. A total of 3,568 Checker Aerobuses of all versions were built.

Technical Specifications

It was offered as seven- (including the tailgate) or nine-door station wagon (A12W), and as a six- or eight-door sedan (A12E) The shorter wheelbases seated 9 people, while the longer models seated 12 people and their luggage. Unlike the standard Marathon (which used a Continental straight-six), early cars used Chrysler's A318 V8 (5.2 L), originally with 190 hp and later 200 hp. At the same time as the Marathon switched a Chevrolet straight-six in 1965, the Aerobus switched to Chevrolet's

small-block The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of gasoline-powered, V-8 automobile engines, produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors between 1954 and 2003, using the same basic engine block. Referred to as a "small-block" for its size ...

engine, with at 4,400 rpm. This was in a lesser state of tune than the 250 hp unit used in the regular

Marathons The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

, with lower 8:1 compression and a two-barrel rather than a four-barrel carburetor. Top speed was around . The rear wheel cutouts were radiused, unlike the sedans. Standard equipment for 1966 included three-speed manual transmission, power brakes, windshield washer, and a front stabilizer bar. For 1969, the bigger 350 engine (5.7 L) took over, with 200 hp. Output climbed to for 1971, or 155 hp SAE net. By 1974, intended to be the last year for the Aerobus as Checker ended production of the station wagons, the power was increased to , using a four-barrel carb instead of the two-barrel seen in the Marathons. Available only with an automatic and with standard power steering, top speed for a 1974 is .

Special Models

Convoy

Marketing material mentioned a special prisoner transport version of the Aerobus called the Convoy ("a twelve passenger security van"). The front passenger seat was rear-facing for a guard, and there was a security screen between the front compartment and the rear. Three bench seats were arranged in the rear, two along the side and one forward facing. No evidence exists of any Convoys actually being sold.

Ambulance

An artist rendering of a possible Aerobus

Ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

shows that Checker was interested in catering to the medical transport market. The depiction shows a short wheelbase station wagon (six-door) body, with the rear most doors closed off with extended rear fenders. The advertisement included a coupon to mail back to the company with expressed interest. As there is no record of any ambulance being built, it appears that there was little interest.

Aerobus 15

After building no Aerobus models in 1975, Checker realized that there still was a market for extended Marathon based vehicles. The Aerobus 15 was the result, being based on the long-wheelbase standard Marathon A12E sedan (with a 9-inch longer rear door). This allowed room for jump-seats ahead of the last row of seating, increasing the carrying capacity to 15 people. Additionally, the rear-axle was of a heavy-duty truck style with 8-lugs. A total of 60 were built in 1976, and a further 47 were built in 1977.

End of Production

Production of the short-wheelbase versions, always considerably lower than the longer ones, ended with the 1969 model year. The final Aerobus models, the 15, ended production in 1977, and no further models were produced.

References

External links

The Internet Checker Taxicab Archive

{{Checker Motors Checker vehicles, Aerobus Sedans Station wagons