Ray Dietrich's Checker A2 Taxi and A3 Sedan

Raymond H. Dietrich was an important automobile designer, perhaps best known for his work with Thomas Hibbard at their LeBaron coachbuilding firm in the 1920s.  Some background on Dietrich is here, and more detail can be found here.  He was at Chrysler Corporation from 1932 to 1938 or 1940 (sources vary), directing styling beginning in 1935.  After World War 2 he became a styling consultant for Checker, the taxicab manufacturer.  Presumably the styling of the subjects of this post was his work, given their professionally formed appearance.

The Checker model A2 taxi was announced near the end of 1946 and entered production early in 1947.   The non-taxi A3 variant appeared later that year.

Styling was in line with early postwar General Motors and Chrysler Corporation designs that, in turn, were facelifted versions of cars that entered production around 1941.  Their main visual difference from 1941 was front fenders extending back into front doors, a theme GM used on its 1942 models and picked up by Chrysler's postwar Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler brands.

Checkers were fairly large, having a wheelbase of 124 inches (3038 mm). This was necessary because taxis needed to be capable of transporting as many as five or so passengers and their luggage.

Unless noted, I am not sure of the origins of the images below.

Gallery

1948-vintage Checker sales material for its A2 taxi and A3 "personal car."

Period photo of a Checker A2 with taxi trim.  The hood is long, covering an inline-six motor.

An A2 located in Finland, shown here at a car show (photo via autodial.fi web site).

Two more views of the same car, these via mööttori.fi.

Right-front quarter view of an A2.

Similar view of an A3.  The tumblehome side sloping is interesting, making the car seem less bulky than many of its contemporaries.