January 14, 2010 Update ... According to a NY Times blog entry on 1/14/2010, the plant was sold to the Jones Company holding group who plan to clear the property. CMC has ceased to exist. You can read the entire entry at the NY Times at

NYT Blog Entry on Checker Motors

December 4, 2009 Update ... The plant has been emptied of all equipment and is in the process of being razed. The disposition of the property after demolition and cleanup is unknown at this time.

July 1 Update ... as of now, Checker Motors has sold off and shut down the remaining GM contracts and associated assembly lines, laid off the remaining 340 employees, and basically closed their doors. The plant itself along with the remaining old presses, etc. still remain. The fate of the plant itself and what remains of the company is unknown at this point; it wasn't really clarified in the various Chapter 11 bankruptcy rulings ... but things don't look good. Let's hope a new use can somehow be found ... some other Michigan auto parts suppliers have managed to successfully convert their plants into producing various new / green energy related products.

The Checker Car Club of America and all of us here at the Taxi Stand wish well to all that have served Checker and acknowledge the fact that we owe them a great deal of respect for building these fine cars.

Checker Motors to Close (WMMT News)

Hat tip to Dave Cline for passing on the link and to past President Joe Fay for the followup research. Joe has done an extensive job of research and we plan to run an article in the Fall newsletter.

From the "was gonna put this up sooner, before [fill in the blank] happened" files:

Max at the ACT Special Car Center in Switzerland sent this photo of a 1964 Checker ambulance, fully restored in their car shop.  Wow!  I had always wondered if one of these had survived, and now we know.

Click here for more information on this car...