It’s not often one meets a celebrity in the form of a milk truck, but here we go, on eBay, the star of an episode of Bush Wreck Rescue, “Divlo”. Divlo is a 1959 Divco milk truck restored in rat rod style. Bidding has reached $13,501, reserve not met. Divlo runs and drives quite nicely, so the winning bidder can head on up to Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada to drive her home. Divlo’s existence began as the humblest of vehicles, in the category of “step vans”, made by Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company. The company had a tortuous birth. Founder George Bacon developed a delivery van in 1922 while working for the Detroit Electric Vehicle Company but it was a gas-powered affair, and his employer said “no”. It took another few years to cobble up prototypes. The process was expensive and Divco almost failed before it was able to make its first sales. Then the Great Depression hit. A series of mergers was required to salvage the company. Finally, in 1938, the snub-nosed Model U was introduced to considerable success.

By 1959, when Divlo rolled off the line in its “pre-rat-rod” form, the model U had differentiated into several configurations. It came in insulated and non-insulated form, with a short or long wheelbase. This one’s VIN identifies it as a model 374 with a six-cylinder engine and a GVWR of 9500 lbs. Motors came from Continental, Nash, and Ford, depending on the model and year. Currently, Divlo runs a 5.3 liter Chevy V8 paired with an automatic transmission and four-wheel disc brakes. The wiring is completely new.

The interior – originally spartan but convenient for deliverymen featuring easy loading, case shelves, even a route book table – has been modernized but without completely losing a vintage feel. Its simple panels and clean angles remind me of its 1950s origins. On the other hand, the cargo area won’t hold much milk any longer! The gauges are from AutoMeter.

Divlo sits on a Chevy S10 chassis and is equipped with airbag suspension. This video shows off the truck’s capabilities. Other than the diamond-plate floor, which I would replace with something plainer, Divlo has a great look but usability is a question mark. How many hot rod shows can Divlo attend? Could it be reformed into a camper? How about a coffee kiosk? What would you do with this intriguing rat rod?