In 1986 Dave committed to taking a 1974 Austin Mini that had been chopped and turning it into the very first Checkermobile. He ended up using it as the background in a promo-photo and even drove it out to the 1988 Halifax Buskers Festival.
1960 AUSTIN HEALEY BUG-EYE SPRITE
Around 1987 Dave decided that buying another British Car, this time a 1960 Austin Healey Bug-Eye Sprite would be a good idea - HA! This vehicle has been an ongoing oddessey ever since. The car was worked on for several years in Ottawa before it was put on a train and sent out to Vancouver. Dave drove it for a few years while constantly tinkering on it and then sent it to a specialty shop in Salem Oregon where it's been ever since. These shots were taken in 2011 when Dave drove down to Salem after the Moisture Festival in Seattle.
Jump ahead to 1989 or so and Dave decided that he wanted a real New York City style Checker Cab to drive around in. He found one in Upper New York State that had been a Cab in the Shultz Taxi Fleet. Buying an old taxi came with it's share of headaches too, but the coolness factor made the struggles worth-it-ish... Many thanks to Ben Merkel who helped keep that Checker on the Road!
There were several Vespas that made there way into the Checkerhead Domain, but this was the one that really stuck, a 1981 P200. What a great scooter! This was the first paint job, but it later got a yellow and white treatment with checker augmentation that made if feel like a Vespa Taxi. Fun!
Summer of 1998 and the Checker Bug bites again... This time a 1968 Checker Marathon. but seeing as the CBG himself was born in 1968 this car had a special significance and thus got some special additions - Hot Rod Flames, Hooker Headers and Side-Pipes... Yeah... This was one sweet ride and a real head turner!
Around the late 80s Nissan was suffering a bit of a public image deficiency and decided to create a few really cool retro-looking cars that were built from modern components. Wanting to build a Small Cargo van for bread shops, flower sellers and dry cleaners and also wanting to capitalize on the word play of 'S-Cargo' this seemed like the logical next checkermobile after the Hot Rod Cab.
A couple of very lucrative gigs during the 2010 calendar year allowed for the purchase of another of the Retro-Styled Nissans. This time around a Lapis Grey Nissan Figaro. These cars were first introduced at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show and were so popular that a lottery was held for people who wanted to purchase one. Only 20,000 vehicles were produced in four colours represending the four seasons, Lapis Grey representing Winter, how appropriate for a car imported to the GREAT WHITE NORTH!
