Checker cab, Forest Ave and Manor Road, Westerleigh, Staten Island.
At the height of the vehicle’s popularity in the roaring 20’s, there were as many as 8,000 Checker cabs plying the roads of New York City. The Checker cab virtually ruled the roads from 1921 to the late 1970s, outlasting many other popular taxi types that included cabs made by DeSoto, Packard, Plymouth and earlier taxi models manufactured by Ford (the Galaxy) and Chevrolet (the Bel Air and Caprice).
In 1982, the Checker Motors Company of Kalamazoo, MI ceased production of the Checker cab, signaling the beginning of the end for the vehicle made world famous in many New York City-set movies, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sleepless in Seattle. NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission
The last Checker in active service was retried July 26, 1999, though you still some in the streets owned by enthusiasts, like this one. Checker Motors went out of business in 2010.