Photo: Mecum Auctions
Hot rods and street rods are some of the great wonders brought forth by human creativity, so let’s take some time to check out an outstanding example.
While not everyone would enjoy owning such a vehicle, it’s a pretty safe assumption that a lot of us enjoy seeing them out on the street. They are relics of a bygone era, a living reminder of what one can achieve with unbridled imagination and a fair amount of elbow grease.
Before heading further and talking about today’s auctioned-off masterpiece, a 1946 Diamond T street rod pickup, let’s just talk hot rods a bit because they’ve changed throughout the years. Making their debut in the 1930s, they were old cars, most often Fords, modified for street racing, but they evolved throughout the years.
The community became split between performance vehicles and others more oriented toward looks. It is the latter that survived the test of time, and when it comes to looks, you just can't beat the blend of a street rod and a pickup truck, which is why this Diamond T is an absolute work of art.
Although this car has kept a few of its distinctive features, like the squared cab, split horizontal bar grille, and V-shaped two-piece swing-out windshield, a lot of custom touches are also present. Many of those touches are subtle, but it’s the sum of them that makes this street rod stand out rather than any individual feature.
However, if we were to pick one thing about this car that instantly makes you turn your head, it’s the obscene amount of chrome. That starts at the wheels, which are Billet Specialties 18" at the front and 20" at the rear. Going on from the carburetors, the Offenhauser finned aluminum heads, and trick baffled megaphone headers, everything on the outside is either covered in a sea of chrome or an amazing iridescent PPG Burgundy paint. Behind the black grille, however, is not the original engine. The Hercules inline-6 has been replaced by a Ford flathead V8 with triple Stromberg carburetors, and you can’t be mad at that. After all, that engine is one of the most famous in hot rodding history.
Speaking about the paint, it is brought to life even more by a splendid pinstriping job done by hand in gold and black accents. But this is a pickup, so the truck bed got some love and attention too. It is custom-made and finished with a varnished wood floor, which also holds the truck's aluminum fuel tank.
The interior is a lot tamer than the exterior, being a somewhat cramped space with limited visibility, specific to street rods. But it is praiseworthy nonetheless. It is beautifully finished in tan leather, and it manages to retain the original Diamond T instrument cluster in working order. With the work and love put into it, we’re curious to see what this beauty will fetch at auction.
Before heading further and talking about today’s auctioned-off masterpiece, a 1946 Diamond T street rod pickup, let’s just talk hot rods a bit because they’ve changed throughout the years. Making their debut in the 1930s, they were old cars, most often Fords, modified for street racing, but they evolved throughout the years.
The community became split between performance vehicles and others more oriented toward looks. It is the latter that survived the test of time, and when it comes to looks, you just can't beat the blend of a street rod and a pickup truck, which is why this Diamond T is an absolute work of art.
Although this car has kept a few of its distinctive features, like the squared cab, split horizontal bar grille, and V-shaped two-piece swing-out windshield, a lot of custom touches are also present. Many of those touches are subtle, but it’s the sum of them that makes this street rod stand out rather than any individual feature.
However, if we were to pick one thing about this car that instantly makes you turn your head, it’s the obscene amount of chrome. That starts at the wheels, which are Billet Specialties 18" at the front and 20" at the rear. Going on from the carburetors, the Offenhauser finned aluminum heads, and trick baffled megaphone headers, everything on the outside is either covered in a sea of chrome or an amazing iridescent PPG Burgundy paint. Behind the black grille, however, is not the original engine. The Hercules inline-6 has been replaced by a Ford flathead V8 with triple Stromberg carburetors, and you can’t be mad at that. After all, that engine is one of the most famous in hot rodding history.
Speaking about the paint, it is brought to life even more by a splendid pinstriping job done by hand in gold and black accents. But this is a pickup, so the truck bed got some love and attention too. It is custom-made and finished with a varnished wood floor, which also holds the truck's aluminum fuel tank.
The interior is a lot tamer than the exterior, being a somewhat cramped space with limited visibility, specific to street rods. But it is praiseworthy nonetheless. It is beautifully finished in tan leather, and it manages to retain the original Diamond T instrument cluster in working order. With the work and love put into it, we’re curious to see what this beauty will fetch at auction.
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