A series of new polyamides were synthesized by direct polycondensation of the 1,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)diamantane with various dicarboxylic acids. The soluble polyamides had high inherent viscosities, ranging from 0.73 to 1.21 dL/g. Polyamides derived from 5-tert-butylisophthalic acid and (+/-)-1,3-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid were soluble in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and pyridine. When NMP and N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) were added with 3% (w/v) LiCl, the solubilities of polyamides derived from 4,4＇-oxybis(benzoic acid) and cis-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid were markedly enhanced. Polyamides had tensile strengths of up to 87.8 MPa, elongation to breakage values of up to 19.3%, and initial moduli of up to 2.1 GPa. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) reveals that the polyamides have three relaxations. Their a relaxations occurred at high temperatures, ranging from 380 to 462 degrees C. Three of polyamides exhibited good retention of storage modulus (above 10(8) Pa) at a temperature exceeding 410 degrees C.