VIM TRUCK

Touraine Co. (1913-1915)
Vim Motor Truck Co. (1915-1923)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is a Vim truck radiator emblem (1918-1923)     mjs
Size: 86mm wide 68mm high   MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The Touraine Motor Company built a six-cylinder automobile from 1912 and in 1913 built its first half-ton capacity assembled truck, which was called the Vim and was powered by a 14 hp four-cylinder Northway engine . This truck was sufficiently successful that the company decided to concentrate on the commercial market and the company name was changed to the Vim Motor Truck Company in 1915. 

From 1915 to 1922, the half-ton Vim was given higher model designations each year. In 1916, Vim advertised a single well-built, sturdy chassis and the choice of eleven different body styles. The Vim was a popular truck and sales grew to 13,000 units a year by 1917 and, by 1918, the half-ton Vim was the lowest priced of any similar commercial vehicle on the market. In 1918, 1-1/2-ton and 3-ton models were offered, with 1-ton models offered in 1920 to 1922 and three-quarter-ton Vim Model 50 trucks offered from 1922 to 1924.

The Standard Steel Car Company took over Vim in 1921 and proceeded to sell off the Vim assets. Production of the Vim ceased in 1923.

Emblems

The first Vim trucks had a brass radiator and carried a brass radiator emblem, which continued to be used on basic models through 1917, see example shown below:

This is a Vim truck showing radiator emblem (1917)  cckearney

The following brass Vim truck radiator emblem is very rare. This Vim radiator emblem and the Vim radiator can also be found finished in nickel plate.

This is a Vim truck radiator emblem (1913-1917)   mjs
Size: 114mm wide 67mm high   MM: None

The following pale blue and deeper blue enamel radiator emblem was used on some Vim models from the change to the Vim Motor Truck Company in 1915. This Vim radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Vim radiator emblem (1915-1917)    mjs
Size: 77mm wide 47mm high     MM: Greenduck

There was a change in Vim truck emblem in 1918 to the following red, white and blue enamel Vim radiator emblem. This Vim radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Vim truck radiator emblem (1918-1923)    mjs
Size: 86mm wide 68mm high   MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The following black enamel version of the previous Vim truck radiator emblem was used for some Vim models around 1922-1923. This Vim truck radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Vim truck radiator emblem (c1922-1923)    mjs
Size: 86mm wide 68mm high    MM: Whitehead & Hoag

This Vim radiator emblem may be the emblem illustrated in the following Vim truck advertisement:

Vim truck advertisement (1920)  ebay

The following advertisement in The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1919 for rebuilt Vim trucks includes a depiction of a Vim radiator emblem inscribed "Delivery Car". I do not know if this was an actual Vim rebuilt truck radiator emblem. If this is indeed an actual Vim delivery car radiator emblem, it would be extremely rare. If you have details of such a Vim emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.

This is a Rebuilt Vim truck ad (1919) 

The following photo shows a surviving 1923 Vim truck with what appears to be the black enamel Vim radiator emblem shown earlier above and a Vim hood side nameplate:

This Vim truck displays a rad emblem and hood side emblem (1923)
lostannalsoftransport

The following is a cast brass Vim truck hood side nameplate. This Vim hood side nameplate is rare.

This is a Vim hood side nameplate (c1918-1923)    mjs
Size: 229mm wide 51mm high    MM: None