The Checker Series E were transit buses sold by Checker Cab Manufacturing Corporation from 1951 to 1953, using a body built by the Union City Body Company (UCBC) of Union City, Indiana, on a chassis built by Checker in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
History
The Series E bus was designed by Transit Buses, Inc. in 1948. Transit Buses had been formed as a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and UCBC in the 1930s; buses were assembled by UCBC by fitting their body to a Ford chassis, engine, and transmission. In 1947, Ford withdrew from the transit bus market and stopped supplying chassis and powertrains to Transit Buses; Transit Buses designed a new bus using the Continental I6 "Red Seal" engine and contracted Checker to build the chassis starting in 1948, with UCBC still responsible for final assembly in Union City. Checker acquired Transit Buses in 1950 and began marketing the bus as the Checker Series E in 1951. However, sales of the contemporaneous General Motors "Old Look" buses, originally designed by Yellow Coach, were much stronger and Checker withdrew the Series E in 1953.
References
- Brophy, Jim (June 17, 2017). "Bus Stop Classics: 1948 – 1953 Checker Motor Coach – The Frequently Forgotten Bus from the Country's Most Famous Taxi Maker". Curbside Classic. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
External links
Checker Motors Corporation vehicles, 1922–1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Morris Markin formed the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company in July 1922 by merging two prior acquisitions: the Lomberg Auto Body Manufacturing Company (acquired 1920) and Commonwealth Motors (1921). Commonwealth sold the Mogul Taxi between 1918 and 1921, which used a body by Lomberg on a Commonwealth chassis; Checker continued Mogul Taxi production through 1928 with minor changes as the Models H, H2, E, F, and G. |