JUNE 2009 OLD TIME TRUCKS
ONE OF THE LAST DIAMOND T’S
By John & Shirley Sponholtz
Started by C.A. Tilt in 1905, the Diamond T Company goes back to the early days of trucking. At first, the company built automobiles, but in 1911 they built a truck at the request of a customer. From that day on, the company specialized in building trucks, and it wasn’t long before the Diamond T trademark, a diamond with a gold border and the letter “T” inside, became famous. The trademark originated from Mr. Tilt’s father, who owned a shoe manufacturing company (the diamond represented quality and the “T” stood for Tilt). In 1951 the Diamond T heavy-duty tilt-cab model 723C won the National Design Award for an industrial product. This was the first time that a truck had won such a prestigious award. Unfortunately, just 15 years later, the company ceased operations in 1966. The truck pictured here is a 1966 cabover first owned by Robert L. Pool who bought the truck on May 5, 1966 from the Hausham Motor Company in Louisville, KY for $12,635. Mr. Pool used this truck to haul furniture for 28 years before retiring and moving to California. The second owner was Richard Ausmus of Colorado Springs, CO who used it as a show truck. Mr. Ausmus painted the truck as you see it in the photograph. The current owner is Jerry Howard of Fairborn, OH. Jerry saw the truck at the shows, liked it, and kept trying to buy it until Mr. Ausmus finally agreed. The only thing Jerry did to the truck was add an aluminum deck plate and the bullet lights on the top of the cab. The Diamond T Company may be long gone, but their trucks are still some of the most popular models among the old-timers.