1904 Franklin Model B Light Tonneau

In 1902 Herbert H. Franklin brought out what was to become the most successful name in air-cooled automobiles prior to the Volkswagen. The Franklin built its reputation for durability in 1904 when transcontinental driver L. L. Whitman, and Franklin representative C. S. Carris, drove one from New York to San Francisco in just under 33 days. Although Franklins did exceptionally well in road races their greatest selling point was that they never overheated, a problem that plagued most water-cooled automobiles in the early 1900s.