In a memo in May 1945 Snow laid out his vision. He wrote, "The primary purpose of a vehicle of this kind is to carry passengers comfortably and economically. To do this, passengers must be placed in the most advantageous seating and riding position. The vehicle must be light if it is to operate economically. Keeping weight to a minimum means that the entire vehicle must be as compact as possible without any sacrifice in passenger space." The project progressed to the development of a mule. Designated the Model C, it utilized a L-head Continental 6 placed transversely in the rear of the cab, mated to a Warner three speed manual transmission. The overall length of the cab was 198.5 inches and the wheelbase was 100 inches. As was always the case with Checker being an "assembled car", many components for the Model C were sourced from the "parts bin" of other makers and independent component producers. In the case of the test mule, the front and rear suspension, brakes and wheels were from Studebaker. The test mule went through extensive testing, and the results were poor. Prior to his death, Snow recounted to automotive writer Karl Ludvigsen the facts of the project: "The objections to this design were that a vehicle of this type with the engine mounted in the rear behind the rear axle cannot have good weight distribution on a short wheelbase. There was too much weight on the rear wheels for good roadability and performance. Furthermore we had passenger seats facing each other as in trains and this we considered would be very objectionable to the passengers who rode backwards in the front seat." Given its poor handling and questionable passenger comfort, the project was killed. In the summer of 1945, Snow moved on to a new project, the Checker Model D. Like the Model C, it was unconventional. It would be a front-wheel drive vehicle with a transverse engine mounted forward of the cab. Plans called for a significant number of variations to be produced, including sedans, limos, station wagons, coupes, convertibles, and light trucks. Two running prototypes, a five-passenger sedan and a seven-passenger taxicab, were developed. The prototypes were equipped with a transverse mounted Continental 6 cylinder engines mated to a 3-speed manual transmission. The prototypes rode on a 112-inch wheelbase within a total length of 189.5 inches, six inches shorter than the 1946