Extra-Long Wagon: 1967 Checker Aerobus
Now that the weather is about perfect, sitting in the office all day can be rather difficult. We have all been there, trapped at a desk counting down the hours until Friday. Since we first started Wagon Wednesday nearly a year and a half ago, our weeks have gotten considerably better. Rather than dragging ourselves through the week, now we look forward to Wednesday almost as much as the weekend. Opening emails on Wednesday morning has become a time of anticipation and excitement. We always get at least one submission that leaves us fascinated and possibly a bit perplexed. Well today the award of most intriguing wagon goes to this 1967 Checker Aerobus that Jim S sent in! He came across it here on eBay and thought we might enjoy this extra-long wagon.
Checker Motor Company was the creator of the iconic Checker Taxicab that dominated the streets of nearly every major American city. Besides building Taxis, they also built airport shuttles like this Aerobus. They came in various sizes and variations, ranging from a six door sedan all the way up to this nine door wagon. The wagon you see above is an impressive 22 feet long and can seat twelve. We can only imagine what it would be like to drive this beast when it’s fully loaded.
Moving this much wagon around takes a lot of power. Checker never built their own motors and instead used other manufacturer’s power plants. Due to the massive size, all Aerobuses came with V8s. Early versions were powered by Chrysler’s 318, with later cars receiving either Chevy’s 327 or 350. This one came with a 350, which should be adequate. We wouldn’t count on getting anywhere quickly, but given how long this is we don’t think we would want to go real fast anyways. We think this would be the perfect soccer team hauler. Just think, if there is a particularly irritating child, rather than getting frustrated, you can just have them sit in the very back. You would be nearly 20 feet from them, making them an almost insignificant issue.
This Checker spent most of its life parked in a garage and is currently in nice shape. The body looks clean and straight with good paint. The paint doesn’t appear to be original, but this is likely the original color. If we were going to use this to haul the family around, we would consider doing a color change. There would be nothing worse than having complete strangers thumb you down for a ride, although that could be a great way to pay for a shiny new paint job! The interior is also in nice shape, for a Taxi at least. We doubt there are many creature comforts here, but then again, other than climate control, seat belts, and decent upholstery, what else could you possibly need?
We aren’t sure how the family would feel about riding around in this massive wagon, but it would certainly cut down on fights! We can only imagine the attention this would draw at the local car shows, especially if we could get the whole family to go with and unload at the same time. Talk about a great wagon to kick off Wagon Wednesday, it can’t get much more interesting than a 22 foot long Checker. Or can it? Thanks Jim for the tip!
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Comments
What a TRIP! Look at that view from the back row, or is it from the luggage space.
Look at the suicide knob on the steering wheel. I haven’t seen one of those since high school, which is when you really needed it to steer with your left hand because you had your right arm around……someone, there being no seat belts in sight.
The close-ups show a chip here and there, and some light rust on the grille. So what? Those simple, clear round gauges on that nice plain dash make up for those defects and more. Then there’s the perfect check upholstery, the checkerboard painted all the way around, and lots more………
I’ll admit that I’ll never own a Checker, but I’ll admire them all day long. Probably the most useful vehicle to come out of No. America since the Model T.
I’ll take it all the Checker, the barn, the land, the lovely mountains, so Fla is so boringly flat. If I only got the car I’d have to bend it in order for it to fit my circular driveway. Very cool car.
Cool car, love the barn also and the scenic mountains just tops it off. I only have one complaint and it’s not the car. WHY did he pull it out side and take great pictures of the exterior then pull it back inside to take pictures of the interior, I think the interior would have come across much better if he had taken those pictures outside. OH I loved the taxi fare calculator also.
I once turned down a free, running late 60’s standard, non taxi Checker sedan because the windshield had turned white and the chrome was bad. I just didn’t want to put any money into it. Hopefully, it found a good home someplace.
Well, honestly, what do you do with it?
Most of these I’ve seen were ratty projects. This looks pretty darn nice. I’d have no use for it, but if you’re jonesing for something cool that seats the whole team and isn’t an actual bus, this is for you.
That steering knob is off a tractor.Must have “Armstrong Steering”.
As a New Orleans musician I would love to cut off the top from the windshield back and brace it solid all around and make into a slow going parade bandstand. Now, that would work just fine! Mardi Gras!!