Page 34 - Sample pages "Raymond Henri Dietrich" by Necah S. Furman

by taxi operators.55 In retrospect, the decision to close the Model D project in 1946 appears to have been a missed opportunity for the company as it represented advancements in design both from the engineering and body styling perspectives.
Still faced with a taxi fleet being held together in some cases with duct tape and bailing wire, Checker Manufacturing pressed forward and within a year’s time brought out the Model A-2. This large car mounted atop
a 124-inch wheelbase retained the majority of Dietrich’s flowing Model D body design with its pontoon fenders, classic long hood, and a curvaceous passenger cabin. “The body line behind the windshield,” in the opinion of Fay and Merkel, was “comparable with the styling on other classic cars of the period.”56
For the chassis and engine design, however, Snow reverted to the less costly original Model A. The A-3 pleasure car followed in 1947, making marketing news
Some observers noted that the Checker Model D bore a resemblance to the 1942 Chrysler. Considering the design legacy left by Dietrich when he departed Chrysler the second time, this should not have been surprising. (CCCA Museum and Archives)
356 RAYMOND DIETRICH: AUTOMOTIVE ARCHITECT
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