This Day

June 18, 1923 – The first Kalamazoo Checker is built

Checker Motors Company was founded 1922 after Morris Markin, Chicago clothier and owner of an auto body repair business, loaned an associate $15,000 to support Commonwealth Motor Company. When the loan could not be paid back, Markin took ownership of Commonwealth. The car company had been manufacturing personal passenger cars at a Joliet, Illinois facility, but Markin altered production to focus on building taxis. He then merged his existing auto body business with Commonwealth to form Checker, and he moved the production facility to Kalamazoo, Michigan. On this day in 1923, the first Checker assembled at the Kalamazoo plant rolled off the assembly line. 

Checker Taxi

Kalamazoo remained the home of Checker production until the last one left the factory 59 years later, in 1982. In 2009 Checker Motors Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the following year the business ceased to exist after its headquarters was sold.

Brian Corey

Recent Posts

March 26, 1879 – Othmar Ammann, NYC bridge designer, is born

Othmar Ammann may not be a familiar name to most, but if you live in…

5 days ago

The History of the Arizona Automotive Industry

Lucid Air by Mr.choppers - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=138255918 Arizona may not be…

5 days ago

March 25, 1930 – Larry Shinoda, designer of Corvettes and Mustangs, is born

Larry Shinoda (Ford) Lawrence Kiyoshi Shinoda was born on March 25, 1930, in Los Angeles,…

7 days ago

March 19, 1999 – Ford establishes Premier Automotive Group

2000 Land Rover Discovery, from the year Ford purchased Land Rover. Ford Motor Company's Premier…

2 weeks ago

March 18, 1858 – Rudolf Diesel’s birthday

On this day in 1858 Rudolf Diesel, would later patent the type of engine by…

2 weeks ago

March 17, 2006 – The last Chevrolet SSR is built

On March 17, 2006, Chevrolet built the last example of one of the most unconventional…

2 weeks ago