The Peppery Mr. Tilt

One of Chicago's least-known citizens is short, silver-haired Charles Arthur Tilt, 65, who lives in a swanky Gold Coast apartment, is an expert yachtsman, golfer and skeetshooter, is the owner of a cannon-cracker temper. He is also founder, mainspring and president of smart Diamond T Motor Car Co., which last week estimated its 1942 sales 125% over last year to a record $100,000,000. Diamond T had just announced nine months' profits up 45% to $1,063,000--quite a contrast to the 34% drop in the combined profits of competitors, Mack Trucks and Yellow Truck & Coach. Atop this, Diamond T boasts it is producing "twice as many" heavy trucks as the whole industry did before the war.

The Beginnings. For these startling gains all credit goes to Art Tilt, who has a seventh sense for what truckmen will buy, has manufactured motor vehicles longer than anyone else except Henry Ford. Art started Diamond T (Diamond for quality; T for Tilt) 38 years ago in the rear of a one-story Chicago garage. Brash and bossy, Art ignored most truckmaker traditions, did whatever he wanted to. It worked. Before World War I Diamond T had a national reputation; then its military trucks gave it an international reputation.

Diamond T had bumps aplenty during the fierce competition of the early '20s, but Tilt pulled through by reinforcing his dealer setup, pioneering high-speed trucks, heavy-duty engines, full-floating axles, other engineering improvements. Always a bug on style and comfort, Art snagged many a sale with cosy, heated, cabs, flashy nickel radiators, etc. And Diamond T broadened its line, in 1940 had 40 models ranging from one-ton panel deliveries to giant 15-tonners.

The Big Time. But mechanized World War II really put Art Tilt in the big time. Early in 1941 he was turning out thousands of prime movers, wreckers, armored busses and just plain trucks. Now he has enough orders to run full blast for more than a year, has specialized in three main military types: 1) Diamond T-designed six-by-sixes (six cylinders, six driving wheels) used for gun crew carriers, artillery tractors, etc.; 2) hefty half-tracks (built cooperatively with Autocar and White Motor); 3) tank hauler and recovery units, sensational monsters which handle big tanks like toys, have 2 1/2-ft.-wide fenders and an engine weighing more than an ordinary 1 1/2-ton truck.

To handle the rush Diamond T expanded factory space almost threefold to 700,000 sq. ft., boosted, employment from 600 to more than 2.000, leaned heavily on suppliers like Hercules Motors (engines). Timken-Detroit (axles), Clark Equipment (transmissions).

The Rewards. Last week Art Tilt was a happy man--his company was going great guns, an Army-Navy E flag floated over his neat, compact factory, his employes had just surprised their tough-guy boss with a gold trophy and a diamond-studded pin to show their "friendship and esteem [in] recognition of 38 years of continuous leadership unmarred by labor strife or serious dispute." Chicagoans chuckled, too, over the latest story of the famed Tilt temper. In a purple rage because his Packard was hard to start one cold Sunday morning, Art jumped out of the car, grabbed a wrench, roared a sailorful of oaths as he battered off a headlight.

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