Checker superba
| Checker | |
|---|---|
| Image does not exist |
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| Superba | |
| Production period: | 1961-1963 |
| Class : | upper middle class |
| Body versions : | Limousine , station wagon |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 3.6 liters (59-104 kW) |
| Length: | |
| Width: | |
| Height: | |
| Wheelbase : | 3048-3277 mm |
| Empty weight : | |
| successor | Checker marathon |
The Checker Superba was one of the Checker Motors Corporation in Kalamazoo ( Michigan produced) in the model years 1961 to 1963 cars. The Superba was created on the basis of and with the body of the Checker Taxi and was offered in two equipment lines: Standard and Custom. There was a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon of both variants.
The customer had the choice (at no extra charge) between two versions of the six-cylinder engine 6L-226 from Continental . Both had a displacement of 3636 cm³ (226 cui ) and were based on an engine that Kaiser , Willys and IKA had also used. One was side-controlled , had a compression of 7.3: 1 and 80 bhp (59 kW) power. In return, she got by with poor quality gasoline. The other had overhead valves (OHV), was 8: 1 compressed and with 122 bhp (90 kW) produced a similar output as that of the last Kaiser. A three-speed manual gearbox with steering wheel gearshift was standard, and an automatic gearbox from Borg-Warner with a selector lever on the steering column was available at an additional cost .
The Superba had a grille with an arched central section flanked by two chrome-plated side panels. The air supply to the engine compartment was made through 24 rectangular openings in the center of the grille. The parking lights were on two thick metal sheets next to the radiator grille and had star-shaped housings. When the Checker Marathon came out in 1963 , it had its own honeycomb grill over the full width of the vehicle.
In 1963 the Superba received its only external change, a more contoured front bumper. Otherwise, the appearance of the car was exactly the same as that of the first model in 1961.
Sales of the Superba in the first year of sales in 1960 (the 1961 model year lasted from September 1960 to July 1961) were 1050 units, even lower than those of America's smallest independent automaker Studebaker .