The First Franklin...
took 2 Months to Build and Was on the Market by June 23, 1902.
It Holds the Distinction of Being the First Four-Cylinder Automobile Produced
in the United States. Most Cars of That Time had a Single or Two-Cylinder Motor.
As Franklin had Hoped, the Four-Cylinder Engine Eliminated
the Bouncing Suffered by Cars Manufactured with The More Common One-Cylinder Engines.
It had a Chain Drive and the Engine was Mounted Crosswise.
The Four-Cylinder Engine had Jump Spark Ignition, Splash Lubrication, Weighing 230 Pounds (100 KG) was About 1/4 the Weight of the Car. It had an Enclosed Planetary Transmission. The gear ratio was 12-to-1 for low and 4-to-1 for high and there was reverse gear as well as the two forward. The steering gear was on the right, with wheel control.
The Complete Car Weighed 900 Pounds (410 kg) and Traveled Up to 12 Miles Per Hour (19 KM/H). Its Vertical Four-Cylinder Air-Cooled Engine with Overhead Valves Sat Transversely at the Front of a Wooden Chassis / Frame. The Car was Test Driven on a Short Trip to Cortland, New York, and Returned Home by Way of Skaneateles(NY) One Afternoon.
S. G. Averell... a
New York Sportsman and Relative of New York Governor W. Averell Harriman, Bought
the Car on June 23, 1902. He Paid $1,200.
( Image Above, Source: Automotive industries, Volume 26. 1911 )
First Franklin Model ever produced in 1902 with first Franklin owner: S. G. Averell of New York City.
Franklin Automobile Manufacturing Co. 1906 -1934, Syracuse,
NY,
The Franklin Motor Car was Invented by Engineer John
Wilkinson and Manufactured by The Industrialist Herbert H. Franklin and Marked
Under That Name.
It was One of the Most Innovative Motor Cars of Its Time,
Featuring an Air-Cooled Engine, Scientific Light Weight and Flexible Construction
at a Time When Other Luxury Cars Still Where Heavy-Weight Machines. The Franklin Company Featured Many Body Styles, both Factory
and Custom Made. The Franklin Car Set Many Records in Point to Point Races
Due It's Superior Handling, Durability, Economy and Speed over the Rough Roads
of That Time.
(Image Above: John Burns, John Wilkinson, Herbert H Franklin )
Since 1910, the H.H. Franklin Manufacturing Co. had had a
close relationship with the Walker Body Company, who supplied the majority of
their bodies. In 1920 Franklin Bought an Interest in the Company. Franklin Pioneered the Production Of Closed Car with Catalog
Sedans, Coupes, Broughams and Berlines as Early as 1912.
Allthough The Franklin Luxury Car was A Great Competitor...
It Fell Victim to the Great Depression Along with Many
Others Luxury Car Manufacturers and Suffered Financial Collapse, This Way Their
Production Sadly Ceased in April 1934.
The Franklin Cars That I Like The Most are The Ones With The Rare V-Windshield. Designed by Wilkinson's and Used at Franklin Cars from 1916 through 1922. To Some A.K.A "The Coffin Nose".
As For Example This Nice Coupe!
