Franklin 11-b Sedan

The American Franklin is the most successful air cooled car before the Second World War.

The American Franklin 11-B Sedan is, before the Second World War, the most successful air-cooled car. The cooling system of this 1927 type 11-B works as follows: an impeller in the “radiator” forces air upward into a large tube located above the cylinders. Through this tube the air is blown back down through a ring of small pipes surrounding each cylinder, cooling the cylinders. Aircraft engines also use this technique, which is why Franklin cars are very popular with aviation pioneers such as Orville Wright, Amelia Earhart and Colonel Charles Lindbergh, the latter owning no fewer than four of them. As early as 1902 Herbert H. Franklin, in cooperation with engineer John Wilkinson, is among the first to produce a series-built car with an air-cooled engine. Franklin is convinced that air cooling is more reliable than water cooling. He compensates for the engines being less powerful by using wooden chassis and a lot of aluminum, making the car lighter. In the early years Franklins often look somewhat odd, but under pressure from dealers the brand switches in 1925 to the more conventional design by J. Frank DeCausse, with a fake radiator that actually serves as an air intake. The car on display here is an example of this.