1948 Diamond T Model 201

The origins of the Diamond T Company dates to 1905 with the first car built by company founder C.A. Tilt. The distinctive logo was copied from his father's shoe company, with the diamond signifying quality. The company built custom-built automobiles until 1911 when an important customer requested a truck, prompting them to build a one-and-a-half ton conventionally designed truck powered by a four-cylinder engine. From that point forward, the Chicago-based company exclusively built trucks.

The Model 201 one-ton pickup was introduced in 1938 and came equipped with a Hercules engine mated to a Warner Gear transmission. The new streamlined styling conformed to the modern designs of the time. It was based around a large cruciform-braced ladder-frame chassis and fitted with an extra rigid I-beam axle in the front and a fully floating axle in the rear. The substantial leaf-sprung suspension included thirteen leaves at the rear. Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes provided the stopping power for the cast iron wheels. Power was initially sourced from a 205 cubic-inch, seven main bearings, L-head, six-cylinder Hercules engine, later switching to an enlarged 236 CID Hercules 'Super Service' unit after WWII. A three-speed manual Warner transmission was standard with a four-speed gearbox and high speed 62mph final drive ratio being optional.

Approximately 7,000 examples of the Model 201 were produced before it was superseded by the Model 222 for 1950.

In the post-World War II era, competition from Chevrolet and Ford eventually led the Diamond T to focus on heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and by 1958 the company sold out to White Motor Company.

A total of 1,379 examples of the Model 201 were built in 1948.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2022