I took this yesterday. I see some of these old ''Marathons'' around Dallas and actually worked on one many years ago it was made by the Checker Cab company.After the recession that started in 1979 and lagging sales, coupled with a change in the taxi industry, and ever imposing new government regulations, Checker closed the doors on the sixty-year-old assembly line. The Checker Cab was considered the Rolls Royce of the taxis in it's hey day. It was a sad day on July 12, 1982 when that last iron horse rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, bearing the green and ivory colors of Checker Taxi of Chicago. Sixty years prior to this, the first cab bearing the same color scheme, rolled off the same assembly line and onto the streets of the big cities, proudly carrying it's passengers to their destination. It will not be long though before the cumbersome cab with all that room inside will be nothing but a fond memory to many people as they squeeze into the little compact with their suitcase on their lap reminiscing about the good ole' days. The company in still in existence, expanding it's outside contract work, mainly in the sheet metal stamping and sub-assembly work for the automobile industry.http://www.checkertaxistand.com/Checker_History thanks for viewing and any comments. no smoking only cab please I would like to recommend this gallery http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1578592&member