March/April 2021 Vintage Truck
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The March/April 2021 issue of Vintage Truck magazine is available in our gift shop now and will be available on newsstands soon. Our cover story features a pair of 1949 Diamond T pickups. The article was written by Robert Gabrick and photographed by Brad Bowling.
No, this isn’t a magic trick done with mirrors. These two nearly identical Diamond T Model 201 pickups are owned by cousins Mary Bomgaars and Larry Moir and their spouses. The Diamond T’s eye-catching red color and attractive, car-like styling made Bomgaars and Moir lifelong fans of the marque. Their personal connections to one Model 201 led to its restoration and the purchase and restoration of a twin, whose serial number is a mere four digits higher!
Diamond T origins
The Commercial Car Journal, dated Oct. 29, 1927, included an interview with Diamond T founder Charles Arthur Tilt—commonly known as C.A. Tilt—that covered the origins of the company and its somewhat legendary name. Tilt explained that, in 1896, at the age of 19, he began sweeping floors in the J.E. Tilt Shoe Co., his father’s factory in Chicago.
His father sublet a machine shop to Charles Yale Knight, the inventor of the Knight Sleeve Valve engine and manufacturer of the Knight automobile. In 1904, young Tilt became the sales manager of the Knight Motor Car Co. for about a year until he left to establish the Diamond T Motor Car Co. with $1,000 total capital in 1905. Tilt chose “Diamond T” because it was the name his father used to distinguish “top of the line shoes” from other footwear offered by the company. (No doubt the “T” stood for “Tilt.”)
From 1905 to 1911, Diamond T built only passenger car chassis, which sold in the Chicago area with custom-built bodies. Tilt, serving as president, general manager, salesman, and chief mechanic, developed the chassis. Sources indicate that, in 1907, the company offered a three-model lineup consisting of the Runabout, Touring Car, and Limousine.
In 1911, after ending automobile production, Diamond T built its first truck, which the company referred to as “Old No. 1.” The initial three- and five-ton models were chain driven, but by 1915, the company boasted “the most complete line of worm-driven motor trucks on the market” that included 3/4- to one-ton, 11/2-ton, two-ton, and three-ton models. Diamond T promoted its line as “The Nation’s Freight Car.”
To read more about the 1949 Diamond Ts pick up a copy of the March/April 2021 issue of Vintage Truck magazine!
Articles in this issue include:
Buick Made a Truck?
Stephen Benson’s 1916 Buick D-4 Express is a real Flint rarity!
Story by Tom Gibson, Photos by Brad BowlingBack to Idaho
Dennis LeKander’s 1955 Studebaker E-7 survived a volcano!
Story and photos by Candace BrownIdentical Cousins
There’s a reason these 1949 Diamond T pickups look like they came from the same family!
Story by Robert Gabrick, Photos by Brad BowlingSweptline Heirloom
Wayne and Cherie Stevens have been enjoying their 1960 Dodge D-100 for a half-century!
Story by Loren Hoekema, Photos by Kevin OdetteThe Orchard Suburban
Gary and Carol Howard’s 1958 Chevrolet Suburban Carryall NAPCO is “double rare!”
Story by Loren Hoekema, Photos by Brad Bowling
DEPARTMENTSLetter from the Editor
Letters to the Editor
For Ford Fans: 1978 Ford F-150 4X4
Photos from the Attic
The Road Less Traveled: Nash Trucks Between World Wars
Books in the Bed: Reviews by Robert Gabrick
Hey Loren!
Aid for the Anxious Amateur: Documenting Your Restoration
Classifieds
Show Guide
Granny Gear: Lonely Lights
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