We have covered the Checker Bantam Jeep story in the past, but as a quick update our friend William Spears. owner of one of the Checker Jeeps has recently written the book Warbaby, a complete history of the development of the Jeep.
Here’s a brief description of the book from the Amazon link “Thousands of books and articles and documentary films have been made extolling the virtues of the jeep, but, until now, the complete story of its origins have remained largely a mystery, shrouded by fragmentary, conflicting and incomplete evidence; conjecture, supposition or outright guessing. After over 15 years of painstaking research, William Spear’s definitive new book WARBABY sets out the true story of how the jeep came to be. The history is not only revealed in full, but emerges as one of the most interesting and exciting stories in automotive history, from beginning to end filled with dozens of compelling characters in dramatic, high risk situations. The book is an important new page of history about what may be the most significant vehicle in American automotive history.”
- Morris Markin behind the wheel of one of the three Bantam Checker Jeeps.
According to Spears the book “has a full chapter on the Checker episode which includes pretty much everything I know about it”.
Regarding the three Checker jeeps again according to William “my Checker is fully restored and is currently on display at the Terry Williams museum in League City, Texas and can be seen by appointment. The other, Checker, a four wheel steer, is still with the Stout family I believe, untouched from its condition when it was at the Gilmore…I believe that one is in the Northwest. My suspicion is that the third car was wrecked at Aberdeen and used for spare parts in support of the other two. Mine for instance had a four wheel steer steering column which I wish I hadn’t sold! Lol.”
For a limited time it can be had at an insiders introductory price of 60$ at
The four wheel steer Checker Bantam Jeep.
