Chassis No. 7030362

Chicago's Diamond T built a lasting reputation for rock-solid engineering and build quality that has long outlived the company itself, to the point that its name remains a synonym for engineering excellence and design within the trucking industry. Speaking well to that standard is Jim Taylor's 1948 model, a two-wheel-drive 773-404HHS that offers a handsome combination of attractive streamlined design, including an opening vee'd windshield, with a wonderful period-correct presentation as a Sinclair service station's tow vehicle.

Mr. Taylor acquired the Diamond T in 2004 from Randy and Marilyn Baker of Daleville, Indiana. Finished in the Sinclair Green and red combination once recognizable to generations of travelers, the truck is complete with cab lights, dual spotlights, accessory turn signals on the front fenders, and a tool box under the passenger door which was a Diamond T signature in this era. There is a heater and a radio antenna but no radio itself. An electric fan is mounted in the interior for the driver's comfort, along with handsomely restored upholstery facing a dashboard of original gauges. The solid steel bed is occupied by an electric winch and wrecker boom, the latter apparently of thoughtful homemade construction, as well as battery and storage boxes with J-hooks and towing accessories. Finishing off the presentation, of course, is a porcelain Sinclair sign perched upon the roof. Cosmetics are in fine order throughout, including the beautiful chrome-plated grille.

Backing up the truck's promise of rugged power is a six-cylinder, counterbalanced Diamond T engine, fed by an upgraded 12-volt electrical system with alternator. At the time of cataloging, the odometer had recorded 79,925 miles. Accompanying the vehicle is a small file of service records from Mr. Taylor's ownership.

Every automobile collector will eventually have a vehicle...or two...which 'fail to proceed,' in Rolls-Royce parlance. This Diamond T offers the best of both worlds: a suitable tow vehicle that is also a wonderful piece of history in its own right.