This
is a Taxi I made from a Monogram
1939 Chevy Panel. I added the wheels and tires, some
plain janes with mini-moon hubcaps. I scratchbuilt the taxi
sign on the roof.
I
used rub on letters and various decals for the graphics.
The rear side panels in the body I cut out and added clear
windows. Inside I put a bench seat.
The
paint is Testors Yellow and Red, with a coat of dull coat.
I wanted a used, faded look to the paint. On this kit, the
back door also opens. (but I glued it shut).
The
kit has been re-released several times over the years, most
recently in a nice lowrider version with graphic decals
and gold wheels. But it makes a great early era car and
reminds you of the old NYC or Chicago gangster movies.
Remember,
this is a panel truck, here I opened up the sides, but it
would also make a great bread or milk delivery vehicle with
the panels left in.
My
inspiration for this kit was a similar model built in a
model magazine. (maybe an old Scale
Auto?)
Did
you know ? Checker Cabs roamed the streets of New York for
75 years. Finally, in 1999 the last Checker cab in New York
City retired. This "relic" was sold at auction
for $134,000. And why not? After all, it had less than 2
million miles on the odometer. Checker taxis dominated the
industry from the early 1920's until the mid-50's.
The
Big Book of Car Culture: The Armchair Guide to Automotive
Americana - If you love cars and the American road, here’s
a fun and comprehensive armchair guide to everything automotive.
The Big Book of Car Culture is a photo- and memorabilia-rich
look at everything that is automobilia: drive-in restaurants,
gas stations, breathalyzers, tail fins, the Wienermobile,
Route 66, and even Earl Scheib, who built an empire of $99
car-painting franchises. Written by Jon Robinson and Jim Hinckley,
masters of books on road-going Americana, this book features
poignant essays and a collection of nearly 400 images of
incredible period photography and memorabilia.
Classic
Chevrolet Dealerships: Selling the Bow Tie - Since its
founding in 1912, Chevrolet has weathered the Great Depression,
two World Wars, confused markets, and fuel crises to become
an American motoring icon. Chevy's success would not have
been possible without the network of dealerships that sold
and marketed the company's cars and trucks, first to wary
customers unconvinced of the new contraptions' practicality,
then to nine decades of consumers ranging from cash-strapped,
to cash-flush, to confused, to increasingly fuel-conscious.
Cuba
Classics: A Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles
- In this paean to the vintage car, Baker, who has also provided
the photos, juxtaposes American autos against the backdrop
of Cuba to great effect. "Today, Cuba possesses about
450,000 cars, of which one-sixth are pre-revolutionary American
autos dating back to the ’20s and ’30s,"
he writes. Most of the cars pictured here, however, come from
the 1950s: a pristine-looking green 1950 Chevrolet Styline
Bel-Air is parked alongside a gray, weathered house; in the
foreground an old man in a straw hat walks by eating from
two ice cream cones. Not all of the photos are of the best
quality (there are random, grainy pictures of people on the
streets and free-frame photos of cars in motion), but overall,
the photos effectively capture the beauty of the vintage
cars themselves as well as the country that keeps them
running.
Checker
Cab Photo History - Checker Cab - an internationally recognized
icon that still inspires fierce brand loyalty. Even today,
20 years after production ended, the Checker Cab is still
a familiar part of the American urban landscape. Author James
Hinckley has unraveled the often conflicting stories about
the Checker Cab Manufacturing Co. to present the first complete
history of this fascinating company and its legendary cabs.
The
American Taxi: A Century of Service - The American Taxi
has been providing a vital public service for 100 years! Enjoy
the Taxi experience through photographs and the history
of famous taxi marques, such as Yellow, General, Checker,
DeSoto, Packard, Plymouth, Ford, & Studebaker –
many minor makes are also represented with forgotten names
like Rockwell, Murphy, Oakland, Huppmobile and Stearns Knight.
Oddball experiments, unusual taxis, lights, meters, and
taxi memorabilia are highlighted. A walk through time
illustrates the effect of regulations on taxis and how that
led to technical advances and body changes.
