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San Francisco, 1920. "Franklin touring car at Golden Gate Park Conservatory." The air-cooled Franklin's styling hallmark was a radiatorless hood that was said to resemble a coal scuttle. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.
to have different tread patterns for front and rear tires?
I'm salivating all over the keyboard. The next year the air cooled Franklins move from the "coal shuttle" hood to the infamous "horse collar" hood, and then in '24 Franklin comes out with a conventional looking but completely fake radiator; a styling change that so disgusted some of the company purists that they resigned. Franklins were light but very high quality; I recently examined a '21 demi-sedan and when closing the door the sound is "clunk;" --on my '24 Model T coupe the sound is "clink."
The car museum in Norwich, New York, specializes in Franklins. They were built in Syracuse, and the company used their expertise in air-cooled engines to become a major supplier in the aircraft engine business at one point.
A look through the front wheel will reveal wood! chassis rails and full elliptic springs. Franklin cars were not copycats.
The girl sitting on the left is cute. The car looks nice but I sure wouldn't want to be in it in case of a collision with another vehicle.
Or any other antique/classic cars, for that matter - a visit to the wonderful Gilmore Car Museum is highly recommended.
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