1923 Franklin Model 10 Touring

The Franklin Company was established in 1901 by John Wilkinson, a Cornell-educated engineer. The company would continue to produce automobiles until its demise in 1934. Franklin was America's longest-running producer of air-cooled automobiles and they were an early champion of the use of lightweight aluminum.

The Franklin Manufacturing Company initiated a strong advertising campaign that promoted their high-quality and lightweight vehicles. Their engineering was progressive and introduced many new features. Wilkinson used a wooden frame constructed of three-ply laminated ash. The benefits were two-fold; decreasing the weight of the vehicle and providing a better material to absorb shocks.

In 1924, Wilkinson left the company. The designs of the vehicle dramatically changed over the next few years, mainly in response to criticism from dealers. The most visual of these design changes were the radiators which became more conventional in design.

This Series 10-A 5-passenger touring car has an electric starter, an electric choke, and a dash-mounted manifold-heater switch, as well as dash-mounted spark control. Instrumentation includes a speedometer, odometer, trip odometer, and timepiece. Power is from an air-cooled six-cylinder engine rated at 26 horsepower. There is a Franklin single-barrel carburetor and rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Hershey, PA sale presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $22,000 - $28,000 and was offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $11,550 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2011