When watching old films taking place in New York City, any shot of its oft-congested streets are bound to be chock full of the iconic yellow Checker cabs that once dominated the industry. While it’s extremely unlikely that Checker will ever again hold a taxi monopoly over New York again, the company’s owner is looking to revive the iconic brand with two new, unique designs that have nothing to do with traditional taxi services.

Hemmings Auto Blog reports on two new sketches from the Checker Motor Company for a proposed six-door touring/shuttle car, and a two-door sedan-based pickup not unlike the El Camino. Using modern drivetrains and chassis but keeping the unmistakable Checker front end, this unique revival of an old automaker might actually stand a chance.

Checker’s owner, Steve Contarino, says that there’s been a lot of demand for restored Checkers to serve as official hotel shuttles, but their archaic drivetrains and mannerisms don’t deliver the level of refinement they’re looking for. The solution is the Checker A88, a six-door, 12-passenger design based on the old Checker Aerobus, which offered as many as eight doors in both sedan and wagon form. It will have modern safety and driving features, as cars have come a long way since the last Checker rolled off the assembly line.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Checker Sport Pick-up Crossover, an effort to revive the once popular car/truck combinations made famous by the Chevy El Camino and Ford Ranchero. Designed as a more practical daily driver for somebody who doesn’t want to commit fully to truck lifestyle, it’s an admittedly brazen move, but one that faces no real competitor. Checker doesn’t anticipate selling more than a few hundred per year, but does want to design an all-new platform with modern brakes and suspension, powered by GM’s LS V8 engines and perhaps the new 2.8 liter Duramax diesel as well.

Is there enough nostalgia for Checker to warrant two new, niche models? Contarino thinks so, and perhaps these once iconic cars will return to New York City en masse once more.