The Checker A2 represented a major milestone for Checker, the Checker A2 was Checker’s first production car that was completely made of steel. Since 1922 all Checker bodies were constructed of wood. Checker was somewhat late to the market, most US auto producers had been building steel bodied cars for more than ten years.
Checker was late to the market in introducing a post war cars Much time was initially invested in the still born Checker Model C and Model D. Once those programs were killed Checker rapidly developed a replacement for the Model A, combining the old chassis and engine configuration of the original Model A with the Dietrich designed all steel body of the Model D.
The resulting vehicle was called the Model A2. The body passenger compartment of the A2 is virtually identical to the Model D, the only difference being the length of the front clip, which was redesign to be configured for a front inline Continental 6-cylinder flathead engine and rear wheel drive configuration of the Model A. The Checker A2 dimensions were consistent with most large US produced automobiles at a total length of 205.5 inches and the wheelbase 124 inches.
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| Sole Surviving 1949 Model A3 Luxury Car |
The following year, in August of 1947 Checker introduced another model, the A3. Called a pleasure car, this automobile was Checker’s first official entry into the non-taxi market, a car that could be sold into the “Black Car” limo markets that were growing in most US cities. A deluxe version of the A2, the A3 sported a bench front seat and more chrome The Checker A3 was equipped with a rear trunk. This was the first time Checker had offered a trunk as standard equipment. The A2 did not have a trunk, mainly because many US cities still had laws on the books that prohibited taxis equipped with trunks. Many of these laws dated back to the prohibition era as rumrunners would transport illegal booze out of sight of the police in the trunks of taxicabs.
1947-1949 Model A2
Introduced in the fall of 1947 the design would serve Checker until December of 1954. Styled by Raymond Dietrich the Checker has many styling features similar to Chrysler and General Motors vehicles of the day. Easy identifiers:
- Flat bumpers with art deco bumper guards
- 60 box egg crate grille
- Chrome strip around the greenhouse
- Contoured rocker panels.
The pontoon fenders that wrap into the doors are a styling feature consistent with many high end cars of the day such as Cadillac’s or Lincolns.
