Frequently Asked Questions about Classic Franklin

Who founded Franklin and where were Franklin cars built?

Franklin cars were built in Syracuse, New York, by the H.H. Franklin Manufacturing Company, the die-casting business of Herbert H. Franklin. The car itself was the work of engineer John Wilkinson, who began collaborating with Franklin in 1901. The first production Franklin was sold in 1902, and the company went on building cars in Syracuse until 1934.

Why were Franklin cars air-cooled?

Franklin used air-cooled engines because the company considered them simpler and more reliable than water cooling. With no radiator, water pump or hoses, there was no coolant to boil over in summer or freeze in winter. Every Franklin car was air-cooled, and for many years the company paired its engines with light construction that included wooden chassis frames and full-elliptic springs.

What was the first Franklin car?

The first Franklin was a light open car of 1902 with a four-cylinder, overhead-valve, air-cooled engine mounted crosswise at the front. Thirteen cars were built that year. The first Franklin sold belongs to the Smithsonian Institution.

How many cars did Franklin build?

Franklin built roughly 150,000 cars between 1902 and 1934. The Henry Ford museum puts the figure at some 150,000, while a year-by-year table published by the H.H. Franklin Club totals 154,022. Output began with 13 cars in 1902, peaked at 14,432 in 1929, then fell to 360 in the shortened final year of 1934.

What is a Franklin Series 11?

The Series 11 was the restyled Franklin introduced in 1925, designed by J. Frank de Causse after dealers pressed for a more conventional look. It replaced the horse-collar hood of the Series 10 with a dummy radiator, although the engine behind it remained air-cooled. The H.H. Franklin Club's spotter guide dates the 11A from mid-1925 through 1926 and the 11B to 1927.

What was the Franklin Airman?

The Airman was the model name Franklin adopted after Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic in 1927 behind an air-cooled aircraft engine. Franklin gave Lindbergh a 1928 Airman sedan, which he later donated to Henry Ford's museum, where it remains in the collection. The H.H. Franklin Club lists the Series 14 through 16 and Series 19 cars of 1930-1934, styled by Raymond Dietrich, as the New Airman.

Did Franklin make a V-12?

Yes. Franklin built an air-cooled V-12, known as the Series 17 or Franklin Twelve, from 1932 to 1934. The engine displaced 398 cubic inches and was rated at 150 horsepower. Unlike earlier Franklins, the Twelve rode on semi-elliptic springs in place of the full-elliptic springs the company had long favored, and it arrived during the Depression, two years before the company failed.

When did Franklin stop making cars and what happened to the company?

Franklin stopped building cars in April 1934, when the company went bankrupt during the Great Depression. Its air-cooled engine business continued in Syracuse under former Franklin engineers and took the name Aircooled Motors in 1937, building aircraft and helicopter engines. Tucker bought Aircooled Motors in 1948, and a Franklin helicopter engine converted to water cooling powered the Tucker 48.