Tag Archives: taxi

Big Yellow Taxi*

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NYC taxi cabs seem to be less, well… cabby these days. Toyota RAV4 hybrids and electric Nissan vans have taken over from the classic V8-powered three-box sedans, which is of course excellent news for air quality. And quite probably ride quality. But somehow less… cabby.

Of course we’re talking nonsense, because the old three-box sedans weren’t bespoke taxis like London’s ‘Black Cabs‘ anymore than a RAV4 is, and thus you were just as likely to see them being driven by the elderly in Florida as you were in yellow NYC form.

However even now, if asked to picture a NYC yellow cab, we would still think of a shape (and era) like this.

The Chevrolet Caprice was one of several V8-powered three-box sedans used for taxi duty in New York before their electrified replacements arrived, with this superb brick-built version being a 1989 example.

Constructed by previous bloggee Jakub Marcisz, the model captures the classic cab brilliantly, including four opening doors, hood and trunk, working steering, a detailed engine bay and interior, and some wonderfully authentic NYC Taxi License decals.

There’s much more of this Chevrolet Caprice NYC cab to see at Jakub’s photostream, and you can hail a ride in New York sometime in the 1990s via the link in the text above.

*Today’s title song (a cover version that features (we think) this very Chevrolet Caprice taxi in the video. Points for us!).

Out Of Africa

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The most Germanic of German cars is – these days – African.

Nearly two million Mercedes-Benz W114 and W115s were built during the 1970s, with countless numbers registered as taxis across Germany.

Painted in mandatory primrose yellow, they covered hundreds of thousands of kilometres during their working lives, before – at the end of their service in Europe – being shipped to Africa to cover hundreds of thousands more, and where thousands of W114 and W115s are still in use today. It’s safe to assume taxi standards may not be quite as rigorous in their second countries of residence than they were in 1970s Germany.

Of course a sign on the roof is one of the many items that you don’t need in order to operate as a taxi in much of the world, thus battered W115s once owned by German businessmen in the ’70s are now also doing something far more important; keeping whole communities connected.

These two superb brick-built replicas of the car that continues to keep parts of Africa moving are the work of SvenJ. of Flickr, who has made free building instructions available so you can create his excellent Mercedes-Benz W115 too. There’s more of the model to see via at SvenJ.’s Flickr album, and you can head to 1970s Munich, or – more likely – central Africa today, via the link in the text above.

Cyber Monday

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It’s Monday, and it’s cybery here at TLCB for some reason. Perhaps the title would’ve worked about three weeks ago…

On to the models! With much talk in the car world about converting classic cars to EV powertrains, we hope this is the next logical step.

Previous bloggee Sergio Batista has heavily modified the rather lovely 75895 Speed Champions Porsche 911 Turbo set to become something rather more… hoverable. What? – It’s a word!

Sergio’s ‘Porsche 911 2073’ means we only have 52 years to wait, when this TLCB Staffer will be the approximate age that you need to be to become president.

Join us in hope of the hovercar revolution at Sergio’s photostream – click here to float on over and take a closer look!

Today’s second cyberpunk creation also has its roots in an official LEGO set, this time from waaaay back in 1971, when Joe Biden was still cheating in law school and Donald Trump was dodging military service.

LEGO were being far more productive however, releasing the ace 605 Taxi set. All seventeen pieces of it.

Constructed from rather more is Jonathan Elliott‘s 605 Redux, a wonderful cyberpunk homage to the fifty-year-old original. Back in 1971 they probably thought that taxis would look like Jonathan’s in 2021, but instead we got the Prius. Which looks like a melted iron.

Oh well, we can dream of the shape of things to come at Jonathan’s photostream, and you can join us there hailing the taxi of the future via the link above.

Hydropneumatic Hovertaxi

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The Citroen DS (AKA the coolest car ever made) was a technological marvel. Launched way back in the mid-’50s, the DS was fitted with a clutchless gearbox, front-wheel-drive, cornering headlights, disc brakes, power steering, and – most amazingly – fully height adjustable, self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension that gave it an unfathomably incredible ride. The only way to improve upon it would be to literally float.

Cue Sergio Batista, whose cyberpunk Citroen DS (in Portuguese taxi livery) literally floats. Wonderful detailing and a beautifully recognisable shape make Sergio’s cyberpunk Citroen hovercar one of the coolest small scale cars we’ve ever featured. But of course it is, it’s a Citroen DS. Head to Sergio’s photostream to hail a hydropneumatic hovertaxi.

Cockney Cab

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Wacked from the ball and chalk? Then feast your meat pies on Jonathan Elliott’s Austin FX4 sherbet dab! Jonathan’s build is lemon tart, with choice black pieces, clips n’ bars, and – would you Adam n’ Eve it – bunny ears too. The grey mare’s more bangers n’ mash than ol’ Uncle Gus, but you’ll dodge the Barney Rubble from the elephant’s trunks. Take a butcher’s hook via the link above, whilst we head down the battlecruiser for a Garry Glitter.

Tudor Taxi

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TLCB’s historical accuracy is pretty flakey, but even we know this isn’t what Henry VIII used to get to whichever beheading event was on that week. This stupendous build is Ford Model A, nicknamed the ‘Tudor’ because it had two doors. Lots of cars probably had two doors at the time, but as 90% of all the cars on the roads were Fords, they got the ‘Tudor’ moniker. This one comes from TLCB favourite _Tiler, who has captured the late ’20s sedan wonderfully, constructing it atop a Fabuland old-timey chassis. Hail a ride in 1930’s New York via the link above!

Julius Jr’s Journey

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We hadn’t heard of Julius and Clancy before, but a quick Google reveals the cartoon critters by Paul Frank are every bit as terrifying as Brickbaron‘s brick-built versions.

Horrific though they undoubtedly are, so are most children’s TV characters (we mean, just look at a Teletubbie), and their message is a sweet one, as evidenced by this catchy tune – which maybe a few politicians should watch. Plus cheaply animated kids cartoons are a lifesaver for parents the world over, however disturbing the protagonists may be.

Anyway, back to the creation; Julius and Clancy are in a tuk tuk for some reason, which Brickbaron has presented beautifully. Built using a range of excellent techniques there’s more to see of Julius and Clancy’s tuk tuk taxi ride on Flickr, where we’re sure a wholesome song can’t be too far off…

Yellow Tinted Glasses

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The world’s most vibrant cities have often been defined by their public transport system. London’s red Routemaster bus, Tokyo’s Toyota Crown with its amazing self opening doors, Hong Kong’s wonderful Star Ferries, and – perhaps most iconic of all – New York City’s yellow cabs.

Checker sedans and Ford Crown Victorias were long part of NYC’s street furniture, and were big, softly sprung, and almost ridiculously inappropriate for taking one or two people a short distance at a low speed.

Despite their thirst, pollution, and unnecessary size, to a tourist they were somehow rather wonderful, however recently (and probably rightly) their days were numbered.

Today few cities have their own bespoke taxis. The cost of developing or adapting a vehicle for just a few thousand sales a year is too great, thus New York’s yellow cabs can now be one of any number of mainstream vehicles that are about as interesting as a white sock. Even if they’re yellow.

Flickr’s Ralph Savelsberg, whose glorious classic Checker NYC cab appeared here a few days ago, has now updated his brick-built taxi fleet inline with New York’s recent changes, building this excellent (and incredibly boring) Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

We’re sure that Toyota’s large SUV makes a far better taxi than the Ford Crown Vics and Checkers that preceded it, but when it’s the very same car used to collect Tommy and Ashleigh from school, it’s somehow not better at all.

There’s more to see of Ralph’s NYC Highlander at his ‘LEGO NYC Taxis’ album on Flickr, where you can also find his Lego recreations of a few other real-world yellow cabs that might not be as good, yet are somehow better in every way.

Check Mate

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New York had the coolest taxis. Built from the late ’50s until the early ’80s, the Checker A9-A12 was as synonymous with NYC as the Black Cab was with London. However with awful air quality both cities have since replaced their taxi fleets with standard passenger hybrids like the Toyota Prius, which are far less polluting, but far less soulful too. It makes us think that perhaps their could be a market for retro-fitting an EV powertrain to a classic cab – we’d be the first to hail a ride. Until then we’ll look wistfully at this beautiful classic Checker cab by regular bloggee Ralph Savelsberg, and try to forget what would be coming out of the tailpipe…

Waterloo Station. And Make it Quick!

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Black Cabs are absolutely not fast. They are filthy smog spreading abominations though, and fortunately London has had enough and decreed only EVs and PHEVs now qualify to become Black Cabs. Fortunately the newly-renamed London Electric Vehicle Company, now owned by Geely (Volvo’s deep-pocketed owners), have built a new black cab fit for the 21st century, and it’s a delight. Plus it’s not poisoning us all like the last Black Cabs were, with a 1.5 litre Volvo petrol engine never driving the wheels, instead providing a range extension to the EV batteries.

Whilst we won’t mourn the loss of the soot-spewing old taxis, TLCB favourite and Master MOCer Redfern 1950s seems to, having created this ‘V8 Drag Car’ that to us looks a lot like an old Hackney Carriage (the technical term for London’s cabs) with an enormous V8 shoved in it.

It sure wouldn’t meet London’s new licensed-hire emissions rules, but we bet it’d get us across London a heck of lot faster. Actually that’s not true, crossing London is about as quick on a push-bike as it is in a Porsche, but it would be more fun! There’s more to see of of Red’s ‘V8 Drag Car’ (aka ‘Hackney Rod’, as named by us just now) at his photostream, plus you can learn how he creates brilliant models like this one at his Master MOCers interview via the link in the text above.

Xích Lô

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The first Vietnamese Grand Prix was due to take place this year. Sadly it, along with most other sporting events, has been cancelled due to Coronavirus, although it did seem a slightly odd choice for a Formula 1 venue. With much of the population using bicycles or mopeds to move about, a Formula 1 car must have felt like a world away. But maybe that was the point.

This is a far more common Vietnamese vehicle, the humble Xích Lô pedal rickshaw, complete with a foldable canopy and a comfy rear-facing chair. This incredible Lego version comes from Hoang H Dang (aka Know Your Pieces) who has deployed a simply breath-taking array of ingenious building techniques to recreate Vietnam’s taxi. From the wheels to roof, the frame to the tree, Hoang has used a fantastically intricate combination of tubes and clips to create his Xích Lô and you can see more of his stunning build at his photostream via the link above.

The Crown

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Many cities and countries are known for having an iconic taxi. London has the Black Cab, although it’s now vastly outnumbered by Prius Ubers, New York had the Ford Crown Victoria, until it was replaced by Nissan vans, Camrys and the Prius, and Mexico had the Volkswagen Beetle, now superseded by boring Asian boxes including, you’ve guessed it, the Prius. There’s a theme here…

Fortunately (and perhaps ironically) Japan still has its iconic taxi cab, the Toyota Crown Comfort, complete with its amazing automatically opening rear doors. Built right up until 2017, the Crown has served as Japan’s taxi for over two decades. It’s finally being retired though, replaced by a bespoke Toyota taxi design that will probably end up becoming even more iconic, and which owes more than a little to its London counterpart.

The Comfort will be around for a while yet though, weird doors and all, and you can hail a ride in Ralph Savelsberg‘s brilliant Miniland scale replica via the link above.

Cosmic Cab

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This hovering Checker taxi was found by one of our Elves today, who – after watching two compatriots munching on yellow Smarties (they’re the best kind) yesterday – is now happily eating a yellow candy reward. It has Eric Teo of Flickr to thank, who has simultaneously gone retro and sci-fi with his flying classic cab. Click the link above to hail a hovercab.

Fifth Element in Elements

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Lego Fifth Element Taxi

1997’s ‘The Fifth Element’ had it all; alien opera, robotic turkeys, Milla Jovovich, a malevolent cosmic entity, and – of course – flying yellow cabs. This is Bruce Willis’ hover taxi and it comes from Davdup of Flickr who has done a superb job of recreating it in Model Team form. There may not be a super-hot-saviour-of-the-universe in the back seat, but it’s got everything else. Click the link above to hail a ride 250 years in the future.

Hackney Carriage

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Lego Austin FX4 London Taxi

One of the most iconic vehicles in the world, London’s ‘Black Cab’ has remained visually unchanged for over sixty years. First built by Austin, which became British Leyland, and then by a succession of smaller specialist companies, the ‘Black Cab’ has ferried tens of millions of passengers around the streets of Britain’s capital.

This particular ‘Black Cab’ is an Austin FX4, a design first launched in 1958 that lasted right up until the late 1990s. Powered by various diesel engines the FX4, despite being a rather lovely vehicle, turned London’s air into a soot-filled soup, so thankfully they were banned from service in recent years (and their replacement is a far more air-quality friendly plug-in hybrid).

This brilliant Miniland-scale rendition of the old Austin FX4 comes from Peter Blackert aka Lego911 of Flickr and you can hail it for yourself via the link above. Just don’t breathe in what comes out the back…