Northeast Classic Car Museum, Norwich, New York, Part 4--August 19, 2017: Franklins

The Franklin Wing of the Northeast Classic Car Museum

The Northeast Classic Car Museum's collection is based primarily on cars owned by the founder, George Staley (1919-2011), a local resident who grew up on a dairy farm but went on to become an accomplished engineer before starting a business overhauling aircraft accessories.  It began with three employees and by the time it was sold out in 1989 there were 250 at three locations.  In his leisure, Mr. Paley began to collect cars, particularly Franklins, and it is no surprise that with his aviation connection he had an affinity for cars produced with air-cooled engines and manufactured in his home state of New York.

Franklin automobiles were produced in Syracuse, New York, from 1902 until 1934 and were noted for their technical innovation and high quality.  A pioneer in the use of air-cooled engines and the first to produce a six cylinder engine, Franklins were lightweight luxury cars which for many years used wood frame chassis (until 1928) for shock absorption.  The company, once the largest user of aluminum in the world, never made much money and failed to adopt modern assembly-line construction even as competitors such as Cadillac and Packard were able to do so.  Although the company introduced the exotic boat-tail body style in 1925, Franklins, often owned by conservative bankers or doctors, were not especially noted for their body design.

1908 Franklin Series A 1-Ton Truck Prototype

The first truck made by Franklin, and apparently the only survivor, this example was purchased as a basket case in 1969 and restored in time for the Franklin centennial in 2003.  It is powered by a four cylinder engine and equipped with shaft drive.

Selden Patent Plate

This small plate indicates that the manufacturer had paid royalties to the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALMA), which controlled the Selden Patent.  The patent, deemed a "pioneer patent" that covered all internal-combustion automobiles, had been filed in 1879 by George B. Selden, a patent attorney and tinkerer in Rochester, New York.  With his knowledge of patent law, he was able to delay the awarding of the patent until 1895, when cars were beginning to appear.  He sold his patent in 1899 to what became ALMA and that group collected royalties of 0.75% from its members and brought suit against manufacturers infringing the patent.  In a celebrated court case, Henry Ford successfully attacked the validity of the patent and it was rendered worthless, albeit with only one year remaining before expiring anyway.  The "pioneer patent" argument was to bedevil the legal system again in the case of the Wright Brothers against Glenn Curtiss as the brothers essentially claimed that three-axis control in flight, rather than the system of how it was done, was their patent right.

1907 Franklin Model G 4 Passenger Touring Car

Introduced in 1906, when Franklin was the third-largest car manufacturer in the United States, the Model G marked the introduction of the "barrel hood" design of Franklin, which was the first change since the company began in 1902 and was used until 1910.  The Model G has a four cylinder engine of 12 hp and sold for $1,850.  At the time this example was built, Franklin employed 1,700 men at its plant in Syracuse.

ALMA license plate affirming payment of the Selden Patent royalty

1903 Franklin Runabout

Believed to be the third-oldest Franklin in existence, this 10 hp car bears serial number 102 of 219 cars produced in the 1903 model year.  It was priced at $1,300.  The oldest Franklin known is a 1902 model owned by the Smithsonian Institution.

1934 Franklin Airman Sedan (left); 1932 Franklin Series 163 Airman Coupe (right)

1934 Franklin Airman Sedan

From production of 14,000 cars in 1929, sales collapsed at Franklin until reaching the end in 1934, when 360 were built--but only 79 were sold.  This Airman Sedan, powered by a 100 hp six cylinder engine, was priced at $2,185 and is believed the have the last serial number given to a Franklin car.  The Airman was named in honour of Charles Lindbergh, a Franklin owner, as was Amelia Earhardt, and introduced in 1927, the same year as Lindbergh's historic New York to Paris flight.

1932 Franklin Series 163 Airman Coupe

Considered perhaps as the finest car Franklin produced, the Franklin, with its six cylinder air-cooled engine, offered impressive performance for the day.  The company introduced hydraulic front wheel brakes in 1928, and switched from its traditional wooden frames to steel in 1929.  This car's list price was $2,345 and it was one of 1,900 cars to leave the Syracuse factory in that model year.

1915 Franklin Model Six-30 Two Passenger Roadster

In 1914 Franklin went exclusively to six cylinder engines and this roadster, restored as a fire chief's vehicle, had a 30 hp engine equipped with aluminum pistons, an industry advance.  For many years the cars featured a fully-elliptical suspension for an excellent ride.  Coupled with the goal of light weight, Franklin did not offer demountable tire rims until 1923 as tire wear was negligible for the period  The roadster was priced at $2,150 and was used by museum founder George Staley to lead a parade at the New York State Firemen's Convention in Syracuse in 1999.

1912 Franklin Model G Touring Car

Produced from 1906 until 1913, the Model G was available in various body styles.  The 1912 version was either a runabout on a 100 inch wheelbase, with an air-cooled 18 hp engine, or, in the case of the museum car, a touring version on a 103 inch wheelbase and having a 25 hp engine.  List price of the car was $2,000.  It featured the distinctive Renault-style (or "shovel front") hood arrangement.

1910 Franklin Model G Two Passenger Runabout

1910 was the last year that Franklin used the "barrel style" hood on its cars.  This Model G, with its 18 hp four cylinder, was built on a 91" wheelbase and sold for $1,750.

1909 Franklin Model D Five Passenger Touring Car

1909 was the final year of the front-mounted gear driven fan used for engine cooling by Franklin.  This Model D has a 28 hp engine and sold for $2,800.

1920 Franklin Model 9-B Five Passenger Sedan

The Model 9-B, powered with a 25 hp six cylinder engine and built on a 115" wheelbase, came in five body styles, with this sedan selling for $3,750.  1920 was the last year Franklin used its Renault-style hood, replacing it in the 1921 model year with a popular "horse collar" style.  It was easy to retrofit the hood to earlier Franklins and this car was so converted.

1925 Franklin Model 10-C Five Passenger Touring

The Model 10 was built between 1922 and 1925 and this car, selling for $1,950, used a 32 hp overhead valve engine, upgraded from the previous year's 25 hp version, and retained Franklin's traditional ash frame.  It was the last year that the "horse collar" hood was used and the year that marked the departure of Franklin's Chief Engineer, John Wilkinson, who had been with the company since its beginning. Franklin, under dealer pressure, requested new body designs from Murphy in Pasadena and J. Frank de Causse, a French designer who had worded for Locomobile.  Wilkinson objected to plans to make Franklins more conventional by changing the hood to include a fake radiator shell, feeling that the simple one-piece hood was more functional.  In March 1925 the Series II cars would be introduced with such an arrangement, designed by de Causse, who would continue to work for Franklin for the next year until his early death due to throat cancer in 1928..

1926 Franklin Model 11-A Five Passenger Touring Car

Priced at $2,635, this 32 hp touring car--one of eight factory body styles offered--was built on a 119" wheelbase.  Touring cars, with their folding tops and detachable side curtains, were losing favour by this time against the more comfortable sedans.  Franklin had begun to offer closed cars, particularly limousines, early on, with sedans making up an important percentage of sales by 1914.

1926 Franklin Model 11-A Victoria Coupe

Most manufacturers offered a so-called "Business Coupe" version of their cars, which were no-frills vehicles aimed at travelling salesmen and other using cars for work, generally having only two seats.  This car, priced at $2,700, was a "Doctor's Coupe," which had a rear bench seat and normal driver's seat, but the front passenger seat could be folded down.  This allowed doctors to transport patients to medical facilities in the days before ambulances were commonly available.  Behind the driver's seat was a platform for carrying the doctor's bag.

1926 Franklin Model 11-A Two Passenger Sport Runabout

J. Frank de Causse's arrival at Franklin resulted in efforts by the company to become a style leader and nowhere is this more apparent in his introduction of the sporty "boat tail" style, which had only been seen on European high-end coachbuilt cars to that point.  It is ironic that Franklin, noted for its conservative clientele and sedate sedans, would be the first to introduce the boat tail, which would become famous later at Auburn, into its catalogue.

1928 Franklin Model 12-A Airman Seven Passenger Sedan

Although retaining many of the design features of de Causse, noted designer Raymond Dietrich suggested several exterior styling changes that were incorporated into the Airman line by Franklin. The cars still used the Franklin ash frame but now included four wheel hydraulic brakes and improvements to the 46 hp six cylinder engine, which gave the car a 60 mph top speed. Charles Lindbergh's own 1928 Airman Sport Sedan was donated to the Henry Ford Museum in 1940.

1929 Franklin Model 130 Convertible Coupe

This car, priced at $2,160, was built on a 120" wheelbase.  For 1929, the Franklin Series 13's were given steel chassis frames across the model range. They retained Franklin's traditional full-elliptic leaf spring setup and the four-wheel hydraulic brakes which had been adopted the year before. Three wheelbase lengths were now offered, plus a larger air-cooled, overhead valve six that displaced 274 cubic-inches and delivered 60 horsepower, while this example retained the 55 hp engine.

1930 Franklin Model 145 Convertible Coupe

1930 saw the introduction of a new side-draft aircooled engine, pushing horsepower up to 95 and making the car capable of speeds reaching 80 mph, far in excess of what could be done on most roads of the day.  This car, priced at $2,610, was one of 5,744 Franklins produced in the model year, a major drop from 1929 production.  Franklin was a luxury brand, with cars priced similarly to Packards, and felt the impact of the Great Depression rapidly.

1929 Franklin Model 130 Convertible Coupe

This convertible, built on the shorter 120" wheelbase offered in 1929, featured a rumble seat, giving the car passenger capacity for five.  It was priced at $2,160 and also has a compartment behind the passenger door for storing golf bags or other items.

1930 Franklin Model 147 Suburban

This Franklin Model 147 was built on a 132" wheelbase and was bodied by J.T. Cantrell & Company of Huntington, New York.  Cantrell offered three different styles of station wagon bodies, with this being the "curtain" version, with only the windshield being fixed glass.  It is believed that only two Franklin woodies were ever produced.

1932 Franklin Model 17-A Club Brougham

Franklin, long wedded to six cylinder engines, made a desperate attempt to compete with the extravagant multi-cylinder cars launched during the Great Depression by its competitors at Cadillac. Lincoln and Packard.  The result was the ill-fated Franklin V12, powered by a 150 hp, and introduced in April 1932, with prices ranging from $3,885 (the case for this car) to $4,185 for a limousine, the cars were essentially handbuilt.  Perhaps 200 were constructed between 1932 and 1934 and the H.H. Franklin Club estimates 18 exist today.  The V12 was in many ways counter to Franklin's long-held philosophy, with some versions weighing 6,000 lbs, but the cars are considered to handle better and offer a more comfortable ride than its competitors.

1932 Franklin Model 17-A Five Passenger Sedan

Remarkably the Northeast Classic Car Museum boasts two of the rare Franklin V12s, with this car, priced at the same $3,885 as the red Club Brougham.  It was claimed that the V12s, with their LeBaron-styled bodies, were capable of 100 mph.

1940 White-Horse 2 Tonner Delivery Van

The White Motor Company, an early manufacturer of steam cars that went on to concentrate on commercial vehicles with a focus on heavy trucks, also produced the White-Horse delivery van from 1939 to 1942.  Similar to the stand-and-drive Divco, which produced similar vans until 1986, the White was notable for using a Franklin air-cooled engine.  Two Franklin engineers had bought the remains of the company after bankruptcy in 1934 and continued production of the engines as Aircooled Motors, using the Franklin name as the brand, for trucks and industrial applications through the Great Depression.  The company was bought by Republic Aviation in 1945 and went into producing engines for light aircraft and helicopters before becoming part of the Preston Tucker car project in 1947.

The Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, Michigan, July 31, 2017--Part 6: Franklin

H.H. Franklin began building cars in Syracuse, New York, in 1902, but began as a manufacturing in the die-casting business in 1893 and his H.H. Franklin Manufacturing Company was to produce the cars that were then marketed by a subsidiary firm, the Franklin Automobile Company, which was established in 1906.  Franklin cars were always air-cooled from the very beginning and featured many technically advanced features. These included the use of lightweight materials--Franklin was once the world's largest user of aluminum--, full-pressure lubrication, automatic spark control, an electric choke, and full elliptical springs.  Until 1928 Franklins used a flexible wooden frame for shock absorption.  The company abandoned four cylinder engines already by 1914 and cars from that time on were all sixes. A luxury marque, styling was generally conservative although coachbuilders did produce custom cars for the company as well.  In spite of its forward thinking and high quality, Franklin was another company that succumbed to the Great Depression, failing in 1934 with all of H.H. Franklin's other enterprises.  

Ralph Hamlin, ready to race in his Franklin, c. 1908

The Gilmore Museum has a special wing devoted to these interesting cars, made up to look like the dealership of Ralph Hamlin in California.  In 1905 Hamlin became the Southern California distributor for Franklin.  Beginning from one location in Los Angeles, his empire grew to include showrooms in Pasadena, Glendale, Hollywood and San Diego and he was the most successful Franklin dealer of all, selling 500-800 cars annually through showmanship, racing, and shrewd dealing.  Hamlin continued to work in the car business after Franklin's demise and passed away in 1974, aged 93.

Franklin air-cooled engines on display

Franklin only produced cars with air-cooled engines.  Following bankruptcy of the company, the engine manufacturing element was salvaged and became Aircooled Motors by 1937, still in Syracuse.  It still used the Franklin name for the motors and was very successful producing engines for helicopters and aircraft during World War II.  The company was purchased by Preston Tucker in 1947 with the view to manufacturing engines for the Tucker 48 automobile and all aircraft contracts were cancelled.  As Aircooled Motors was a major manufacturer of aircraft engines postwar, the failure of the Tucker car project nearly bankrupted the motor firm but it continued to operate, still owned by the Tucker family, until 1961.  The company, now known as the Franklin Engine Company, was purchased in 1975 and relocated to Poland, where production ceased in 2002.

1905 Franklin Type A Runabout

Early Franklins like this one used a transverse-mounted 12 hp four cylinder engine and two-speed transmission with chain drive to the rear wheels.  The cars already featured aluminum body panels and aluminum crankcases, as well as the wooden frame rails for which the marque would be noted.

All Franklins: 1905 Type A Runabout (left), 1907 Type D Runabout (centre), 1916 Sport Phaeton (right)

1907 Franklin Type D Runabout

By 1907 Franklins had inline engines and three speed transmissions.  The company offered three models: a smaller four cylinder car, the Type G, the larger four cylinder D, and the six cylinder H.  All were designed with a flexible three-ply ash wood frame, aluminum crankcase, transmission, hood and body.  Bodies were constructed of aluminum and steel angle iron.   This Runabout weighed 1,760 lbs and cost $2,795, with 2,400 being built.  Mounted on 36" wheels, the Franklins were noted for their smooth ride and with their light weight tire wear was so reduced that Franklins carried no spare tire--something hard to believe in that era.  It was expected that a tire on a Franklin would last 20,000 miles!

1909 Franklin Model D Touring

The 28 hp Model D weighed only 2,200 lbs due to its aluminum and wood construction and so combined the agility of a smaller car with the comfort of a larger one.  This car would have been priced at $2,800 and featured a 221 cu. in. four cylinder engine.  2,412 Model Ds were built.  In 1911 the distinctive barrel engine housing would change to a Renault-like front end, and then in 1921 to a less peculiar "horse collar."

1919 Franklin Sport Phaeton

Powered by a 32 hp six cylinder engine, this Series 9 Sport Phaeton would have cost $2,450, less than a Packard or Cadillac but more than most Buicks.  

1919 Franklin Series 9B Brougham
(Creative Commons: F.D. Richards)

As early as 1912, Franklin was promoting closed cars in its catalogue, with a range that include Berlines, Coupes, Sedans and Broughams.  This car, formerly with the Harrah Collection in Reno, Nevada. is largely unrestored and has less than 6,000 miles on the odometer.  Franklins were true luxury cars and had felted wool interiors, peweter fittings and even a built in air compressor for refilling a tire.  The factory price of this car was $3,300.

1923 Franklin Series 10-B Chassis and Engine

According to the H.H. Franklin Club: "By moving the cooling fan from the back of the engine to the front, Franklin boosted cooling efficiency, allowing for more power output. The Series 10, built from 1922-1925 would be the last pure design of John Wilkinson – chief designer since the beginning. Note the lack of radius rods or torque arms on the suspension, allowing for complete flexibility of the axles and springs. The wooden frame is also unencumbered by cross bracing, allowing for the flexibility that resulted in the "Franklin Ride". Franklin produced nearly all components in-house, including transmission, carburetor & steering gear."

1925 Franklin Series 11 Sport Runabout

There was an internal war of sorts that happened at Franklin as the chief designer, John Wilkinson, who had brought the idea of the air-cooled car to H.H. Franklin, was an engineer through and through and was unwilling to change the cars merely for fashion.  The result was resistance from dealers, led primarily by Ralph Hamlin, to the somewhat odd front end design of the Franklins, which they felt was hurting sales.  In 1924 Wilkinson retired and the path was cleared for a Parisian designer, J. Frank deCausse, to become the head of design for the company.  The result was the groundbreaking Series 11 cars, whose design language was so successful it was retained unchanged for the four subsequent model years.  The handsome shell for the non-existent radiator might have horrified John Wilkinson, but his engineering concepts of speed, light weight, and economy were continued in the new cars.

This handsome runabout featured a "boattail" rear deck design.  The car's 32 hp six cylinder engine propelled the car to a top speed of 55 mph.  1925 saw a total of 8,600 cars produced by Franklin.

1930 Franklin Series 147 Speedster

This car boasts custom coachwork designed by Raymond Dietrich and built by Dietrich Inc. in Detroit.  Introduced in the summer of 1929, it was meant to liven up the top-of-the-line offering from Franklin and cost $3,375.  A Convertible Speedster was added to the line in 1930 and 1931.  Famous aviators liked Franklins and their air-cooled engines and superior technology.  Charles Lindbergh enjoyed his 1930 Speedster, while Frank Hawks had a 1931 model.

1930 Franklin Series 147 Pirate Touring

The sudden death of J. Frank deCausse in 1928 resulted in Franklin retraining Raymond Dietrich to design the cars.  The Pirate body styles featured an extremely rigid body structure and concealed running boards, a first for the industry.  The car has a second fixed windshield for the rear passengers and the Pirate was available as a 5 passenger touring car, as this one is, or a 7 passenger phaeton.  The factory hood ornament reflects the aviation link with Franklin and resembles Charles Lindbergh's famous "Spirit of St. Louis."  Around 200 examples of this model were built in 1930-31.

1931 Franklin Deluxe 153 Pirate Sedan Concept Car

This unique vehicle was shown at the 1931 New York Automobile Salon by a coachbuilder from Amesbury, Massachusetts, the Walker Body Company.  It was the last custom body done by Walker before the Great Depression caused the company to end its coachbuilding work.  The car, with its hidden running boards and radical rear section, is considered to be a forerunner of the Streamline movement that would shortly rule automotive design.  The car did sell at the New York show for $8.750, the cost of 20 new Ford Model As!  It eventually came into the hands of Bill Harrah and was part of his collection of Franklins in Reno for some years.

1930 Franklin Series 147 Speedster (foreground), 1932 Franklin Supercharged Twelve Series 17 Sedan (background)

1932 Franklin Supercharged Twelve Series 17 Sedan

Oddly, the worst years of the Great Depression saw the emergence of magnificent multi-cylinder cars from luxury manufacturers such as the V16s of Cadillac and Marmon, and V12s from Lincoln.  As the H.H. Franklin Club notes: "With the multi-cylinder horsepower/luxury race in full swing, Franklin was not about miss an opportunity to show what air-cooling could do. The result was the astonishing 150 horsepower, forced induction, 12-cylinder air cooled automobile engine. Intended for Franklin's flexible, lightweight chassis, bank-appointed management instead built an entirely new car with ultimate luxury in mind. African Mahogany interior trim, Aircraft style gauges, dash operated adjustable shock absorbers and 90+mph performance with factory equipped two-speed differential were not enough to sell the $5,000 luxury car during the 'Great Depression'. With less than 200 hand-built V/12's sold over 3 years, they are highly sought-after today."  And such was the swan song of the fascinating and idiosyncratic Franklin Automobile Company.

Continue to Part 7 of the Gilmore Car Museum visit here.