Standard Taxi...new taxi vehicle

[mustang84]

...I hope to god NOT. Who cares if it's functional...it's absoutely horrendous. It looks straight out of Eastern Europe with the sophistication of a kid's plastic toy car. Can you imagine the streets of New York clogged with these things?

It's powered by a GM 4.3L V6 and is RWD.

http://www.standardtaxi.com/

[PurdueGuy]

The utility of a tractor, the beauty of a school bus...

The thing'd have to be really cheap, efficient, comfortable, reliable... yeah, it'd have to be a lot of things to get over all that ugly. Or maybe it's actually the Scion xB replacement...

Edited September 20, 2006 by PurdueGuy

[Flybrian]

What a pile.

Why doesn't someone just update the Marathon? Those looked awesome.

[haypops]

The "greenhouse" reminds me of the VW thing with hardtop.

There is at least one poster here who claims to want a RWD BOF car

There are a couple of posters who claim to want the 4.3 lL v-6

There is one picture with a real grill that seems slightly more "beautiful"

[Intrepidation]

The utility of a tractor, the beauty of a school bus...

195841[/snapback]

...and the aerodynamic efficiency of a barn

[FAPTurbo]

The is that?!

Christ, why can't they just use Chrysler or GM minivan's or something. Or maybe those taxi's out of England...

[haypops]

. Or maybe those taxi's out of England...

195855[/snapback]

Have you ever heard the expression " if you have to ask, then you can't afford it."

Those english taxis are over $40K IIRC.

[C.H.U.D.]

Did they realize that they were too amateur to build this to a cost?

[Cremazie]

^ IS this thing for real.. good god!

[haypops]

I bet someone makes a stretch limo out of one.

[thegriffon]

Looks like someone attempting to build a London Cab without the expense of a curved body.

http://www.lti.co.uk/index.asp

Edited September 20, 2006 by thegriffon

[tmp]

could that thing have tinier tires?

[loki]

^ IS this thing for real.. good god!

195867[/snapback]

looks like a playskool thing, w/ real tires, just hella small tires

[big blue]

I vote that they refurbish old Caprices(before and after redesign), I think those things have always looked more handsome than the Ford Crown Vic in any decade.

[RBB]

Have you ever heard the expression " if you have to ask, then you can't afford it."

Those english taxis are over  $40K IIRC.

195862[/snapback]

From Feb '04:

http://www.londontaxisna.com/news-022204.htm

The basic taxi costs $49,000, and the executive version is in the mid-$50,000 range - steep in comparison with a $24,000 Ford Crown Victoria cab. So what is the appeal to taxi operators? Mr. Smith said the TXII was the only vehicle in the world currently purpose-built as a taxi, without the need to also serve as "transportation for soccer moms."

Their official website:

http://www.londontaxisna.com

-RBB

[thegriffon]

Maybe GM should revive Yellow Cab and Coach (folded into GMC).

[04monteintimidator]

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

oh wait... this... this isnt a joke is it...

[haypops]

Maybe GM should revive Yellow Cab and Coach (folded into GMC).

197555[/snapback]

The old checker cabs were also chevy powered (small block). My Uncle almost bought one before he got his '63 Pontiac Catalina. Those were the days.

origonal article

Originally, a Checker Cab was a taxi produced by the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company (later known as Checker Motors Corporation) of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and operating under the name "Checker Cabs" in New York and other American cities.

The company was founded by Russian immigrant Morris Markin in 1922 and produced taxis until 1982. The body style that came out in 1956 and was used until production ended is probably the one most people associate with Checkers. It's the one shown in the illustration.

Checker Cabs were best known for their yellow livery, the black-and-white checkerboard-pattern stripes that ran down their sides, and their roomy interiors, which in addition to the usual back seat, included small collapsible seats immediately behind the front seats to accommodate extra passengers. The Checker was legendary for its sturdiness.

Not all were taxis. Some were sold directly with some modifications to private individuals as personal vehicles. The company even marketed a station wagon based on the 1956 design as well as limousines, known as "Aerobus" and often used at airports. Checker had a showroom at the Kalamazoo plant for sales.

The city of Kalamazoo one time used several Checkers in its police department.

Today, many taxi companies in the United States and Canada operate under the name "Checker Cabs," although they may have no historical affiliation with the original company, and most likely do not have any Checker Cabs (per se) in their fleet.

Checker Motors today operates as an automotive subcontractor, primarily for General Motors, building mostly body components.

The Checker has long enjoyed a cult status.

On the original Mission Impossible television show, episodes that were supposedly set in Eastern Europe often used Checkers as vehicles, as was sometimes evident in closeups of the cars.

[ocnblu]

Hey pops, that was a pretty interesting read. Thanks for posting, sir!

[haypops]

a jeep in Checkers past?

[Guest YellowJacket894]

I vote that they refurbish old Caprices(before and after redesign), I think those things have always looked more handsome than the Ford Crown Vic in any decade.

If that turns out to be a remodeled later model B-Body Caprice, I think I just may kill someone. That is not cool.

[rkmdogs]

The old checker cabs were also chevy powered (small block).  My Uncle almost bought one before he got his '63 Pontiac Catalina.  Those were the days.

origonal article

Originally, a Checker Cab was a taxi produced by the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company (later known as Checker Motors Corporation) of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and operating under the name "Checker Cabs" in New York and other American cities.

The company was founded by Russian immigrant Morris Markin in 1922 and produced taxis until 1982. The body style that came out in 1956 and was used until production ended is probably the one most people associate with Checkers. It's the one shown in the illustration.

Checker Cabs were best known for their yellow livery, the black-and-white checkerboard-pattern stripes that ran down their sides, and their roomy interiors, which in addition to the usual back seat, included small collapsible seats immediately behind the front seats to accommodate extra passengers. The Checker was legendary for its sturdiness.

Not all were taxis. Some were sold directly with some modifications to private individuals as personal vehicles. The company even marketed a station wagon based on the 1956 design as well as limousines, known as "Aerobus" and often used at airports. Checker had a showroom at the Kalamazoo plant for sales.

The city of Kalamazoo one time used several Checkers in its police department.

Today, many taxi companies in the United States and Canada operate under the name "Checker Cabs," although they may have no historical affiliation with the original company, and most likely do not have any Checker Cabs (per se) in their fleet.

Checker Motors today operates as an automotive subcontractor, primarily for General Motors, building mostly body components.

The Checker has long enjoyed a cult status.

197610[/snapback]

AND.........

Big Jim Thompson, the ex-governor of Illinois bought a Checker Marathon as his personal car and used one as his official State limo, because he could not fit into the

limos that were available at that time.

Re: Taxi usage---- a lot of cab companies that no longer have access to cheap

Crown Vics that are ex-police cars, have swithced to mini-vans for the room!

I have seen a lot of Astros used for this purpose. I have also seen some of the

Jap mini-vans being used as cabs in N.Y.

Haven't heard a word on their service life, maybe they are throw-aways when they run out of Saki?

[aaaantoine]

To a huge degree, New York City is using Toyota Siennas for cabs. In the past, they have used the Isuzu Oasis (Honda Odyssey rebadges).

And sure, you can make fun of these things all you want, but if they turn out to be far less expensive than standard vehicles while meeting all the demands of a city taxi, then where does it say that they have to look good to go on the road?