Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948 - World Of Classic Cars -

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

The origins of the Diamond T Company date back to 1905 with the first car built by company founder C.A. Tilt. Tilt continued building cars until 1911 when an important customer asked for a truck – Tilt’s first attempt resulted in a one and a half ton conventionally designed truck powered by a four-cylinder engine. From that point forward, the new manufacturer was known as Diamond T and exclusively built trucks. 

Over the years, the company grew and so did the size of the trucks with the first major styling makeover coming in 1936 with C.A. Tilt redesigning the entire model lineup to conform with the then new streamline era. 

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

It was following World War II that Diamond T experienced their most productive years. However despite its best efforts, competing with Ford and Chevrolet for the rural pickup truck market proved very difficult as the other companies benefited from extremely large scale production and all the cost effective advantages associated with it. Starting in 1951 Diamond T limited their production to heavy-duty commercial vehicles only, and in 1958 Diamond T was sold to White Trucks.

Now this is a truck! The 1948 Diamond T Model 201 pickup came from a truck family long referred to as the Cadillac of commercial vehicles.

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

Chicago's Diamond T enjoyed a high reputation for style and quality. But most of its products were heavy haulers, and one-tonners like the 1948 Diamond T Model 201 pickup are very scarce.

The styling of the 1948 Diamond T Model 201 pickup can be traced back to 1936 (Diamond T didn't go in for planned obsolescence). In that year, a passenger car-like horizontal-bar grille was adopted, along with a swept-back two-piece windshield that cranked open for ventilation.

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

Restyling for 1938 focused on a grille/headlamp/fender ensemble that resembled nothing so much as the 1938 Pontiac, minus its Silver Streaks. The grille was slightly modified in 1939 -- it looked like the 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special's -- but from this point the Model 201's styling was frozen.

The Diamond T Model 201 pickup was accompanied by an open express body style and a panel delivery that Diamond T boasted had a 99-inch cargo hold. An X-braced frame mounted an extra-heavy-duty front axle and full-floating rear axle, held by leaf springs at each corner.

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

The six-cylinder Hercules engine ran in seven main bearings and was cooled by a gear-driven water pump; it developed 91 bhp at 3,200 rpm, working into a Warner T9 four-speed manual gearbox. The rear axle ratio was a suitably truck-like 4.62:1.

First gear was really an emergency low: in normal driving the top three gears were generally adequate. Gross vehicle weight was 8,000 pounds, but the bare chassis weighed 2,750 pounds.

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

The Diamond T pickup wasn't cheap, listing at $1,655 -- about a third more than Ford charged for the half-ton V-8 pickup. Even Ford's F-3 one-tonner undercut Diamond T by more than $200.

Though prewar Diamond T Model 201 pickups featured a handsome engine-turned dash, electric clock, fancy steering wheel, full-disc hubcaps and soft imitation leather upholstery, postwar models leaned toward the practical. Typical equipment included turn signals, an extra taillight, cab lights, oil filter, and heavy-duty generator.

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948

Diamond T Model 201 Pickup 1948