1933 Franklin..This 1933 Franklin was part of the famous “Hill Climb” race last summer.Franklins claim to fame was that it was aircooled.As you can see from the very cool vanity plate “Airhead”.The Franklin Automobile company was founded in 1902 in Syracuse New York. They produced air cooled cars till they closed in 1934.Its founder Herbert H Franklin in 1893 founded the H.H.Franklin Manufacturing Company.Making small “die cast” parts. It was Franklin who invented the “die cast” process.This 1933 Franklin was powered by a direct flow air cooled engine. A fan was attached to the crankshaft and the air was directed by metal housings to the tops of the cylinders thru copper fins. With almost aircraft type cooling it proved to be superior to cooling systems of its era. Famous  aviators of the 1920s Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart could be found behind the wheel of a Franklin. Sadly slow sales due to the Great Depression meant Franklin would close its door in 1934.