I like unusual cars. I'll walk right past a half dozen '57 Chevys and '69 Camaros to see a single 1961 Rambler American. The Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti is penciled in as an annual stop for me. From that info you can probably figure out that I dig Checker cars. If a Checker is unusual, then a Checker Aerobus is unusual squared . The Aerobus, as the name implies, was typically used as an *airport shuttle and came in seven and nine door wagon body styles (and 8 door sedans in 1976-77). Essentially it was an A8 Checker (taxis were A8s, retail models were Marathons) with a special double reinforced long wheelbase frame and extra doors. When I saw that one was listed locally on Craigslist, I had to check it out, or at least make a preliminary phone call.
Apparently it's most recent use was as a promotional vehicle / billboard for an establishment named "Checkers" and the Aerobus is skinned in a checkerboard pattern. With no working drivetrain, it's being offered as an $800 "parts car". Of course one person's parts car is another person's restoration candidate. The ad said that the interior was good, and I figured that if the body was anywhere near sound, at a near 24 Hrs of LeMons claiming price, it might be worth getting on the road, or at least salvaging as an artifact. Since Checker used an assortment of Chrysler, Continental and Chevrolet engines over the 3 decades that they made the A8/Marathon, a small block Chevy and Turbo Hydramatic drivetrain would be a relatively inexpensive no-brainer. So I called the number listed in the Craigs ad. I asked him one question, "how bad is the rust?" His answer was kind of scary. Apparently the door frames are rusted out. He didn't say just how badly, but I got the impression that some of the many, many doors might fall off if they were unlatched. Still, in the photos in the ad the doors seem to be sitting more or less straight. How bad could it be? Surely it could be shored up with some creative welding. Even if this Aerobus really is beyond repair, I'm hoping that some Checker enthusiast will see this post and buy the car as an actual parts car. I doubt Checker spent the money on unique doors for the Aerobus and I'm sure that those doors and many of the other parts will indeed fit one of the shorter wheelbase Checkers. They belong on another Checker, not as part of another Chinese made appliance. If you are interested in saving this historic artifact, and potentially beyond way cool cruisemobile, a word of caution about price. I first spotted the car when it was $900 and in talking with the seller about how firm his price is, it's clear that any potential buyer would be competing with the price of scrap steel. The remark about Chinese appliances was no joke. A 9 door Aerobus wagon has a curb weight of over 5,300 lbs. At $250/ton for scrap steel, do the math. Murilee's Junkyard Finds often elicit "someone should save that car" comments. While Murilee has a fine eye for cool cars, many of those 'restoration candidates' are nowhere near as rare, or register anywhere near the coolness factor that any Checker has today, let alone a 9 door gazillion passenger Checker station wagon. Think of it. Enough room for the band, the roadies and a couple of groupies, plus cargo room for the amps. Though 1969 was the Aerobus' highest production year, Checker still only made 436 of them that year, out of about 3,300 Aerobus wagons that were made in Checker's Kalamazoo factory from 1962 to 1974. That's not as rare as other notable depot hacks, the 1959 Cadillac Broadmoor Skyview station wagon, or the Miller-Meteor Oldsmobile Toronado based Jetway 707, but it's still uncommon. How many other cars have D pillars, let alone Es and Fs too? Checkers have an active enthusiast community and how can you not love a car that makes people smile? Save this Aerobus! *Brochures touted the Aerobus as "for businesses, institutions, resorts, service firms, schools… even big families!" Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can dig deeper at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don't worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options. Thanks for reading – RJS from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com | |||
| |||
| |||
|
Monday, February 18, 2013
Save This 1969 Checker Aerobus From Getting Made Into Chinese Washing Machines
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Archive
-
▼
2013
(7180)
-
▼
February
(613)
- 2013 Acura ILX Long-Term Test Update: Where’s the ...
- The Electric Seven: Land Rover Reveals a Septet of...
- 2013 Dodge Journey V-6 AWD Test: Practical Pragmatism
- 2013 Geneva International Motor Show: 2014 Volkswa...
- Nine-Speed Transmission to Debut on 2014 Land Rove...
- Ecoboost May Put The Squeeze On Ford’s Canadian En...
- GM’s Euro-Trash: All Agree On Opel Deal, Except Fo...
- Maserati Adds Formerly Deleted Rear Seats and More...
- 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and SRT Grand Cherokee: F...
- France Hikes Taxes On Diesel Fuel, Auto Makers Pro...
- Pagani Details Sonus Faber Sound System for Huayra...
- Recall Alert: 2007-08 Lotus Elise and Exige
- Jeep Cherokee Won’t Be The Only 9-Speed Soft Roader
- Recall Alert: 2012-13 Porsche 911
- The 3D Printed Car Is Upon Us
- Real Men Own A Tank. But Does It Get You Laid?
- Altezza Lights: A Retrospective
- 2013 Buick Encore: Car Seat Check
- GM Vows To Increase Voltage
- Armistice At Opel: Unions 2, Girsky Nil
- The UAW Is Whistling Dixie, Again
- Turbo Love At First Sight: Buying The Babe Magnet
- Ford EcoSport: Low Cost Crossover Released Into Th...
- KTM X-Bow GT Pushes Boundaries of Grand Touring Na...
- Honda Opens First New Domestic Plant In Nearly 50 ...
- Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse
- America To Increase Car Exports. With A Little Hel...
- Study: Many Average U.S. Households Can't Afford a...
- House Committee Blasts Overpaid Bailed-Out Exes. T...
- Recall Alert: 2012 Hyundai Veloster
- Audi Lets Pair of RS4 Avants Play Paintball, Every...
- 2014 Lexus IS Dissected: New Lexus Look, New Lexus...
- Tesla To Pay Down DoE Loan In 5 Years Or Less
- The Detroit Three After the Big Whoa: An Examinati...
- 2014 Ford Fiesta ST Priced, So is the Rest of Fies...
- Nissan Will Return to Le Mans in 2014 Emphasizing ...
- 2014 Ford Fiesta Starts at $14,795
- SUV Sales Outpacing Family Cars In The UK
- Abu Dhabi Dispatches: How I Nearly Met Jack Baruth...
- Canadian Cars Americans Don’t Get
- Nissan Europe Ramping Up Local Leaf Production
- The Start
- Signs Suggest Automaker, Consumer Confidence Rebound
- Another Car Show, Another MINI: John Cooper Works ...
- World’s Largest Automakers 2013: And They’re Off
- Take it Slow in Snow and Ice
- Piston Slap: Feelin’ Blue, Cobalt?
- Cars.com Family Reviews the 2013 Dodge Durango
- Nissan Confirms GT-R NISMO Being Developed, Will A...
- Volkswagen Shows The Car It Did Not Want You To Ha...
- 2015 Volkswagen GTI: Evolutionary Look, More Power...
- 2014 Kia Sorento “Tight Space” Commercial: Very Fi...
- Fiat’s Ultimate 500 Series: Abarth Fuoriserie [201...
- TTAC Brings You The NISMO Pictures Jalopnik Misses...
- First Drive: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 4MATIC—Now...
- Rolls-Royce Wraith: Final Teaser Distills Design t...
- Luxury Wagons Work to Woo Families
- Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 173
- Teen Driver Deaths Continue to Climb
- Land Rover and JD Power
- 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT First Drive: We Hit t...
- Alfa Romeo’s Latest Giulietta, the Veloce—Italian ...
- AAA: Gas-Price Ascent Won't Stop Anytime Soon
- Treasury To Unload Remaining G.M Stake
- Slip Slidin’ Away: How I Crashed a Geo Metro and L...
- Ditzy Docherty Makes Waves In Deutschland, Blames ...
- Nissan to Develop 2014 GT-R NISMO
- Macca’s Back
- Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better!
- The Ford EcoSport is Just Like a Fiesta, Only Toug...
- Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Tesla Model S
- Musk Blames NY Times For $100 Million Loss, Should...
- Junkyard Find: Electric 1995 Geo Metro
- Dan Akerson Wants a Big Raise, Washington Sugar Da...
- 2013 Toyota Avalon: Car Seat Check
- 2014 McLaren P1: Staggering Performance Estimates,...
- Brabus 800 Roadster: Because the 621-hp Mercedes-B...
- Fiat 500 GQ Edition: For the Classy European Gentl...
- Michelin Clio Cup Kits Promise Big Bang For the Bu...
- AT&T 4G LTE Connectivity Headed for Select 2015 Bu...
- Additional 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C Details, Interior Re...
- 2013 Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson Wins, But He Isn’...
- Name That Shifter, No. 117
- BMW: The Ultimate Range Anxiety Cure?
- Clek Foonf Makes Extra Room in the Car, but Costs ...
- GM Vehicles to Have 4G Wireless in 2014
- Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The Indon...
- What Automotive “How To” Would Mean A Lot To You?
- Honda Took The Wrong D-D-D-Direction With The CR-V...
- GM Heading To Myanmar As Part Of U.S. Trade Delega...
- Susan Docherty Has a Great Idea How To Kill Cadillac
- Ford Adds Spotify to Sync Suite
- How To Turn Any Car Into The Wagon Of Your Dreams
- Comparison Test: 2013 BMW X3, 2013 Audi Q5, and 20...
- Our BRZ's First Causality: Factory Floormats
- Review: 2013 Toyota Venza (Video)
- Girksy To Opel Workers: Allow Me To Rip Out Your H...
- Monday Mileage Champion: Tom Tuttle’s Tacoma
- Are Graphene Micro-Supercapacitors An EV Gamechanger?
- Monday Mileage Midget: Vecchio Combustible Paradisio!
-
▼
February
(613)
No comments:
Post a Comment