The Marathon was a rear-wheel drive sedan and wagon produced by Checker from 1961-1982. It also served as the iconic taxi cab for several major American cities during that same time span. In fact, I just watched Taxi Driver for the first time last night and Travis Bickle's ride is none other than a Checker cab.
This here is the infrequently seen non-cabbie civilian sedan version, and the owner also states it was never used as an official cab, a plus for buyers not interested in extra wear, tear and abuse.
It looks beautiful in metallic navy blue paint, charming white roof, whitewall tires and the elegant pre-5mph mandate bumpers.
Styling is an instant classic, with excellent proportions and just the right amount of chrome accents. The quad round lights and broad grille in the front are pitch-perfect and the rear is utterly charming with a gently sloping c pillar, bubble rear window, rounded trunk and pointed off corners. I like that it was released in 1961, but looks more like 1955, and then continued unchanged for 20 years.
This '74 survivor has a 350 GM V8 engine, much more desirable than the smaller 6-cylinders these sometimes came with.
The seller states they are only the second owner in the past 38 years.
Mechanically, they say the vehicle starts, runs and drives fine and the V8 is strong and doesn't smoke. They do say it leaks transmission fluid, the a/c doesn't work and the dashboard doesn't light up.
Cosmetically, they say the vehicle appears to never have been in an accident and panels line up straight but it does have some rust. However, they say it was never amateurishly filled.
This example also has the quirky 'jump' seats in the rear.
This could be a great opportunity to acquire a very handsome non-taxi Checker Marathon. The colors are just right and the car seems to be good as either a plain driver or potential total restoration at some point. They were made for a long period of time but are definitely not commonplace nowadays.
The seller is open to inspections and test drives.
Find it here on ebay in Pottsville, Pennsylvania with bidding at $1,457.54 and no reserve.
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