Designed in the early 1930s, the 1934 Diamond T Doodlebug tanker was a multi-purpose tanker that either hauled gasoline, home heating oil or both (it had segmented liquid holding tanks). Built by the Heil Co. in Fort Payne, Alabama, the 1934 Diamond T Doodlebug tanker was based on a Diamond T chassis. It stood a mere 72-inches tall, shorter than many minivans of today and it has a tapered rear end that had massive vents added for cooling.
Designed with a longitudinally mounted Hercules L-head, six-cylinder engine at the very rear of the chassis and a cockpit at the extreme front of the vehicle, the ride must have been choppy. There was a large radiator behind the engine and, because of the distance between the driver and engine (both at extreme ends of the vehicle) a microphone was placed in the engine compartment and a small speaker in the driver’s cockpit so he/she can hear the RPM and shift accordingly.
Using the same pneumatic system as the brakes, the clutch and four-speed gearbox were air-pressure actuated.
Built as an image-enhancing in the early 1930s, Texaco hired two industrial designers, Norman Bel Geddes and Walter Dorwin Teague, to build a modern vehicle that would give the Texaco image a boost.
It is said that six Doodlebugs were built, but there’s no paperwork to substantiate the claim; however, it turns out that one copy of the Doodlebug made it to Australia and hauled/advertised for a for British Australian Petroleum Company. Unfortunately, just like the 1934 Diamond T Doodlebug tanker in North America – no records are available of this truck existing today. As a matter of fact, the 1934 Diamond T Doodlebug tanker, which spawned a multitude of toy spin-offs including piggy-banks, models and display toys, not a single Doodlebug has been found, to this day.Have you seen one?
