Steakhouse Checker

Copyright 2018 - Checker Car Club of America, Inc.

Where's the Beef?

In our case it happens to be at Rolli's Steakhouse near Kloten airport, the main hub for Zurich, Switzerland.

This beautiful and rare 1964 Checker A-12W6C Aerobus was spotted while driving down the highway near the airport. Since the name of the restaurant is prominently displayed on the rear door of the car, it did not take long to find the owner.

Roland Stadelmann, for whom the restaurant is named, always wanted a Checker and could not pass up the opportunity when this one came on the market. Originally ordered in September 1963 by the police department of the city of Zurich, the car was a plain white Aerobus sporting a Chrysler 318 engine. From then on and up to 1974, the car was used as a raid vehicle by the detective squad (Polizeikommando).

Like most of the Checkers in Switzerland, this one was purchased from the local dealer, Settelen AG of Basel. From 1962 to 1974, Settelen imported close to 100 Checkers, the vast majority of them A-12E (extended chassis) models. A total of 5 A-12W6 models were imported in that time period, five with Chrysler and one with a GM engine. In 1965, the police purchased a second Checker, this one a standard 4-door stationwagon.

The original police car that Roland eventually purchased looked like this:

Photo courtesy Roland Stadelmann - Used with permission

While Roland bought the Checker for his own enjoyment, he could not resist the urge to also use it as a moving billboard for his three restaurants.

A section of Rolli's Steakhouse in Kloten, Switzerland

Here are a few more photos of his Checker.