Model

Thank you for your enquiry regarding the Checker Aerobus. Payment can be made by Visa or Mastercard, or a draft drawn on a London Bank. A cheque in U.S. dollars is acceptable, but allowances must be made for exchange differences and also the cost of conversion (approx. £15). You may be interested to know how I came about purchasing the Checker our model is of and its subsequent history. I saw the vehicle whilst visiting Nicky Wright, an English photographer and author on automotive literature, who worked for all the main automotive manufacturers and periodicals, and who had moved to Marshall, Michigan. It was in a tragic state (it hadn't been protected against the salt powdered on Michigan roads), although it had only done 29,000 miles, and had belonged to a hospital at Kalamazoo where it hadn't travelled more than 25 miles from its birthplace. Engine wise, however, it went beautifully, and the 350 Chevy V/8 that powered it was obviously in like-new condition. The asking price was $3,500 and I made a low offer of $1500, explaining that I had to pay for shipping and duty etc. to bring it back to the U.K., and was surprised when the guy accepted it. The rust had affected most of the vehicle - the left front door couldn't be opened because if it did it fell off, and all the welding on the body looked like "Bird shit," if you'll forgive the expression. It needed a tremendous amount of work to restore it which would obviously be a labour of love. I drove the Checker to New Jersey with Brian Singleton following in a 1970 Cadillac Sedan I'd bought in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it was shipped over to England, booked in as a Checker Cab. After being at my farm for a small while, Nicky Wright arranged for an agent of Budweiser to visit who was responsible for their promotional work in the UK and Ireland. I find it hard to sell the vehicles I collect (I have 150+), but looking at it practically I wouldn't be able to restore them all if I had three lifetimes. The car was then sold to Budweiser who were able to throw money into the restoration, using many new parts, and repainting it in the Budweiser livery exactly as you now see on our model. A year ago, I heard the Checker had already covered 65,000 miles on promotional work which is very rewarding as my intention was to see the vehicle being used. Of course, now it is better than when it was new, as the factory in Kalamazoo didn't build the bodies for longevity, and I like to think that by purchasing it, the Checker was saved from being scraped with the engine being used in another vehicle. Please excuse the long story, but I thought it might be of interest to your Club Chapter.




					THESE ARE ALL THE AEROBUS MODELS THAT I AM AWARE OF AND THEY SEEM TO BE MODELED AFTER THE SAME CAR. A LETTER FROM THE MANUFACTURER FOLLOWS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. CLICK HERE TO SEE A PAGE WITH ALL THE KNOWN CHECKER MODELS.








			Richard Briggs Mini Marque '43' Southview Farm Southside Road Halsham E.Yorks England HU12 0BP Dear Keith, Thank you for your enquiry regarding the Checker Aerobus. Payment can be made by Visa or Mastercard, or a draft drawn on a London Bank. A cheque in U.S. dollars is acceptable, but allowances must be made for exchange differences and also the cost of conversion (approx. £15). You may be interested to know how I came about purchasing the Checker our model is of and its subsequent history. I saw the vehicle whilst visiting Nicky Wright, an English photographer and author on automotive literature, who worked for all the main automotive manufacturers and periodicals, and who had moved to Marshall, Michigan. It was in a tragic state (it hadn't been protected against the salt powdered on Michigan roads), although it had only done 29,000 miles, and had belonged to a hospital at Kalamazoo where it hadn't travelled more than 25 miles from its birthplace. Engine wise, however, it went beautifully, and the 350 Chevy V/8 that powered it was obviously in like-new condition. The asking price was $3,500 and I made a low offer of $1500, explaining that I had to pay for shipping and duty etc. to bring it back to the U.K., and was surprised when the guy accepted it. The rust had affected most of the vehicle - the left front door couldn't be opened because if it did it fell off, and all the welding on the body looked like "Bird shit," if you'll forgive the expression. It needed a tremendous amount of work to restore it which would obviously be a labour of love. I drove the Checker to New Jersey with Brian Singleton following in a 1970 Cadillac Sedan I'd bought in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it was shipped over to England, booked in as a Checker Cab. After being at my farm for a small while, Nicky Wright arranged for an agent of Budweiser to visit who was responsible for their promotional work in the UK and Ireland. I find it hard to sell the vehicles I collect (I have 150+), but looking at it practically I wouldn't be able to restore them all if I had three lifetimes. The car was then sold to Budweiser who were able to throw money into the restoration, using many new parts, and repainting it in the Budweiser livery exactly as you now see on our model. A year ago, I heard the Checker had already covered 65,000 miles on promotional work which is very rewarding as my intention was to see the vehicle being used. Of course, now it is better than when it was new, as the factory in Kalamazoo didn't build the bodies for longevity, and I like to think that by purchasing it, the Checker was saved from being scraped with the engine being used in another vehicle. Please excuse the long story, but I thought it might be of interest to your Club Chapter. Best regards, Richard Briggs (Director)