The ohv unit had a more-modern 8:1 squeeze and a more-respectable 122 bhp. The former had 7.3:1 compression and produced a mere 80 horsepower, so it must have been meant for areas where gas was of very poor quality. Here, though, it was available in side-valve and overhead-valve versions at no difference in price. Superba power came from Continental Motor Company, basically the same 226-cubic-inch L-head six once used by Kaiser (see entry). Aside from noncommercial paint jobs and leaving off the "hire light," the Superba differed from the A8 only in a front-end facelift with trendy quad headlamps. Not that there'd been many changes before. Morris Markin, Checker's founder and president, was steadfast: There'd be no change to this dumpy but practical design so long as there were buyers for reliable, durable, "taxi-tough" cars. Average curb weights were 3400 pounds for the sedans, and nearly 3800 for the boxy wagons. The A8 hit the streets in 1956 with a wheelbase of 120 inches - fairly compact for the time. All were the same tanklike affairs familiar to anyone who ever hailed a cab from the mid-'50s to the mid-'80s. Specials were more deluxe inside, but not much. Some sources say Checker offered "pleasure cars" as early as 1948, but the Kalamazoo factory always said 1959 was the first year for private sales.Īssuming one could find a Checker dealer (they were never very numerous), civilians bought what was initially called Superba, a four-door sedan or wagon in standard or Special trim. This 1961 Checker Superba shows the basic design the company used on its "civilian" models throughout its run.įounded in 1922, Checker was long-famous for specially designed taxicabs and airport limousines when it began selling "civilian" models in 1959.
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