Reprinted of a Auto Motor Sport Blog from South Africa
Single checker cab in South Africa
The checker cab loves the night. When the Sea reflects the lights of Cape Town’s busy port Street, it drives him around. Restless, like a Hunter, prey out, he draws his circles through the streets of the South African metropolis, touches spot of the city on the southernmost tip of Africa from the chic waterfront over the severely trendy hot to long Street,.
The checker cab knows that he stands out. Senses greedy eyes of night owls. Feels like the neon lights of the many bars and restaurants on its yellow shiny KarosserieDer new Audi Q2 in the video! dance. Enjoys, as the sound of his mumbling V8 blends with the music and the voices tangle from the clubs. In his last home to New Jersey, he was only one of many, in Cape Town, however, he must lead the sweet life of an idolized soloists. It even says that he is the only one checker taxi across Africa. Something like that works naturally to the ego.
Of course white celebrates its owner, what he has on his checker cab, every exit as if it were the first, even after 14 years. The right hand on the steering wheel, the left arm loosely laid on the edge of the door, a ray pushed upwards ban that keeps the blonde hair in check. Dieter “Lossi” Los Skarn.
A man from the Franconian, which is taken in the upscale Hout in 1994 is Bay near Cape Town to work as a journalist and photographer from there (www.lossis.com). Travel reports, travel guides, illustrated books and countless test reports for various international car magazines come from his pen. Lossi calls himself a gearhead, feels good in the country, where so many are similar to car-crazy as he. His preferred daily driver? Of course the Yellow Checker Cab.
Simple designed workhorses
The relationship begins 1999 Los Skarn is looking for some years a genuine Checker cab, that legendary taxi model which was produced almost unchanged from 1958 to 1982 and sustainably coined the streetscape of American cities. The offer but keep within limits: Checker cabs are not spared. They are simple designed workhorses going, until they literally fall apart for a long life and with astronomically high mileages on the counter. The last Checker cab in the regular taxi operation is 1999’s sold at Sotheby’s for fabulous 134.500 US dollar – with 994.050 miles (1.599.768 kilometres!) on the clock.
“But suddenly there was this online offer,” Los Skarn recalls. “An original taxicab model A 11 from New Jersey.” Los Skarn makes contact with the owners, which presents itself as Orlando Lebelo and first of all little appears trustworthy. But the key data of the checker CAB may sound too good to make it possibly miss out. So just retracted an A-11 of 1976 in a supposedly mint condition and with only 90,000 miles on the speedometer, Checker conditions. Under the huge Hood: A 5.7-liter V8 from ChevroletHier go to matching products on Amazon.de! -the top engine in the checker cab, a taxi business at the factory can order
Never as a taxi
Los Skarn learns that the checker cab 1976 although was appointed as a taxi but not by a taxi company, but by the DEA (DEA) from New York. She uses it as a civilian police vehicle – which explains the low mileage. And of course the big engine, a must in the hunt for drug dealers. “Real taxi pilots preferred the more fuel-efficient Chevy straight six-cylinder”, explains Lossi.
But now the best: Los Skarn “his” Checker CAB has already seen in the cinema. The car plays a (secondary) role, such as in “one night in New York” in “Carlitos Way” with Al Pacino with Ben Affleck. He knows now that he must have this vehicle, it pays, agreed a TerminIhre online auto repair can be found here! for the handover, which must necessarily take place in New York for dramaturgical reasons.
“For me a checker cab is connected inextricably with my picture of the Big Apple”, explains the choice South Africans already cross traveling in thoughts with his yellow taxi through the States: a trip from Manhattan to Hollywood, to put up a monument to this American car legend in a picture book. “The idea for this is at least as old as the desire for a checker.”
There are spare parts immediately in the checker metropolis of New York
The first encounter with Orlando Lebelo and the checker cab runs but sobering. With long greasy hair and a shabby suit, turns out to be the seller as the kind of man that you should buy a used vehicle under any circumstances in the center of New York. And the checker? Hangs ahead much too deep on the road and losing lots of cooling water. “The only flawless on the deal was my bundle of druckfrischer dollar bills”, remembers Los Skarn.
But he buys his checker cab, it creates wounds Woad drive straight until the next workshop. Are at the end of the suspension, the brakes and the cooler, the appropriate spare parts however immediately find himself in the checker metropolis of New York.
Finally, the long-awaited moment the first right exit, – time square, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge. “The feeling in the to cruise, my own Checker Cab through the city was simply overwhelming”, enthuses Los Skarn.
15,000 km across the United States
Shortly after the trip across the USA. The author unravels around 15,000 kilometres in four months. Although no class trip, but the checker cab can last. And: everywhere where the Checker appears, he is received like an old friend, which it has long missed. The images that brings Los Skarn, show the yellow taxi at the edge of the Grand Canyon in front of Monument Valley, in Las Vegas, within sight of the Golden Gate Bridge. Lossis illustrated – a printed road movie. The checker cab finally arrived in his adopted home of South Africa, his owner donated him a major overhaul including a performance by originally 147 PS to 250 HP.
The checker cab since then at most as a taxi for a couple, or as a backdrop for a fashion photoshoot must serve instead of hunting for drug couriers. Well paid jobs that are also fun to him. Because those who experience it, rave about equally by the bull-like arrival of the V8 like by the sovereign driving experience, which can convey only a large sedan. Only now appears to be to many, as timeless and harmonious is this car with the friendly-looking headlights face and the tailfins hint of.
The checker CAB’s already know how good he looks. He like to but at night, when the lights of the city on his shiny paint dancing best.
The checker cab taxi
She Checker Motors cooperation is established in 1922 Markin in Kalamazoo, Michigan, of the Russian immigrants of Morris. There are first vehicles for the operation of the taxi as well as military vehicles. in 1935, Markin calls the checker taxi cooperation in life, whose Fahrzeuge visible on the black and white checkerboard pattern on the sides and roof edges.
1958 start of production of the legendary taxi type checker-cab A-11, which each year approximately 4,500 models mostly are hand crafted. The A-11 is specially designed for the taxi business extremely robust and manufactured until the end of production in 1982 almost unchanged. The civilian brother, who makes A 12 Marathon, Checker cab from about 20 percent of the total production. 1982 Checker provides automobile production due to lack of capital for new developments.
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