Check out this official Diamond T press picture that I discovered in the Motor Transport archives. It's a right-hand drive truck, and presumably the picture was taken in the UK. The only information scribbled on the back of the photo is the issue date - '27th August 1938'. I can't believe how modern it looks, and am shocked that it's a pre-War vehicle.
So, were Diamond T's popular in the UK then? Also, does anybody know exactly what model it is?
I can't help but notice a slight similarity between this and an old Autocar I photographed in an American salvage yard last year. Does the Autocar date from a similar era?
Comments (8)
I've seen that or a similar looking photo before; there is no doubt that Diamond T always made interesting and different-looking trucks. There used to be quite a number of pre-war ones in NZ, but I've never seen a pre-war cab-over in real life.
By the way, if you want to earn a pie, why were Diamond T's called that instead of just Diamond, in other words, what does the "T" stand for?
Posted by Vic Hungerford | July 10, 2008 8:19 PM
Posted on July 10, 2008 20:19
The Diamond T company was started by a fellow called Charles Tilt and thats were the T came from. Not sure if that one is a "tilt" cab but they did have them in later years.
Steak and Onion please Vic.
Posted by Peter Lynch | July 10, 2008 10:25 PM
Posted on July 10, 2008 22:25
The Yanks had a lot of cab forward trucks (ie short bonnneted ones like the RC model Inters) but that Diamond T is a full cabover, Not sure about the Autocar Will, does that have a short bonnet. ?
Posted by Peter Lynch | July 10, 2008 11:41 PM
Posted on July 10, 2008 23:41
You're dead right about the "T" for "Tilt", Pete. I'll buy you a pie when we meet up in November.
It does look as if the Autocar has a short bonnet, although it's a bit hard to tell from that photo.
Posted by Vic Hungerford | July 11, 2008 11:24 AM
Posted on July 11, 2008 11:24
I've just found a couple of photos of that model Autocar on http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/autocar.htm and it appears to be a late 1940s model. It is a proper cabover without a bonnet; it is just those curved ribs in the photo that make it look as if it has a short bonnet.
Posted by Vic Hungerford | July 11, 2008 12:15 PM
Posted on July 11, 2008 12:15
Diamond T did a tilt cab in fibreglass in the early 50's I think. A sheet metal version of this later was later used by IH on their CO and VCO models. The photo above is much older and it would be interesting to hear more about it.
Posted by Peter Lynch | July 12, 2008 12:59 AM
Posted on July 12, 2008 00:59
Reo which later became part of Diamond-Reo was very popular as a supplier of bus chassis on Jersey an Guernsey fron the 1920s onwards. These chassis were oftem rebuilt many times with some changing from normal to forward control and reciving Perkins diesels in place of the original Reo petrol engines. The last one was withdrawn in the 1960s.
Posted by D Powell | July 13, 2008 10:31 AM
Posted on July 13, 2008 10:31
IH in the States had a cabover version of their C300 model in 1937 but this a different looking cab. Are there any serious Diamond T anoraks out there?
Posted by Peter Lynch | July 14, 2008 9:00 AM
Posted on July 14, 2008 09:00