1962-1974 Checker Aerobus

This extremely long vehicle might look like an aftermarket stretch limousine conversion, but in fact it is a factory production model. The Checker Motors Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was best known for the production of taxicabs, though the company also sold cars for other commercial use and even to consumers as personal vehicles. Following the 1961 introduction of the new Marathon 4-door sedan and station wagons, in 1962 Checker introduced an extra-long wheelbase version of the station wagon called the Aerobus. Intended for use as an airport shuttle, the Aerobus was available in both 9-passenger 6-door and 12-passenger 8-door versions. More than merely a stretched Marathon, the Aerobus was designed as a limousine, though it still had many parts in common with the Marathon. While the Marathon was introduced with a Continental inline 6-cylinder engine, the Aerobus was initially powered by a 5.2-liter Chrysler V8, though when the Marathon switched to Chevrolet engines in 1965, the Aerobus followed suit. Production of the less-popular 9-passenger version ended in 1969. The Aerobus was initially dropped after 1974 when Checker discontinued the Marathon station wagon, but was revived for 1975 and 1976 with a sedan rear-end before being discontinued for good. The 12-passenger station wagon pictured here represents the most popular configuration Aerobus configuration, and Checker made few external changes to its vehicles from year to year, so there's little to identify what year of Aerobus production this example is from.