Air-Cooled: ’27 Franklin Coupe

The Franklin Motor Company began in the early 1900s when John Wilkinson, a young engineer, designed a pair of air-cooled prototype vehicles for the New York Automobile Company. Wilkinson hooked up with an investor named Alexander T. Brown and another man named Herbert Franklin, who owned a company, H.H. Franklin, that made die castings. They went into the car-building business and the cars were called Franklins. Production of Franklins began in 1902 and the first car was sold on June 23, 1902. Franklins were known for their build quality, reliability and extensive engineering. Wilkinson was driven to produce efficient, trouble-free cars, and always seemed to be at the forefront of new developments in the auto industry. The company gradually grew during the 1910s and ’20s and, in 1925, Franklin began offering custom bodies. Today’s find will interest you because it is an all original car that has been in the same family since new. Paint, Interior, engine and chassis as it left the factory in 1927 – the year Volvo began building cars. This is a rare aluminum-bodied coupe and very few are left according to the registry of all things Franklin. Click here to see the full eBay listing.