In 1901, Cornell engineering graduate John Wilkinson had completed two air-cooled prototype cars.

Having met and taken for a ride Herbert H.

Franklin, a manufacturer of die castings in Syracuse, it was decided that the H.H.

Franklin Company should manufacture cars.

As the most successful manufacturer of air-cooled-engined cars, and with 1929 a banner sales year with over 14,000 cars produced, and the future looked bright.

The Series 13 Franklins of 1929 adopted steel chassis frames.

Traditional Franklin full- elliptic springs were retained, as were four-wheel hydraulic brakes adopted the year before.

There were now three wheelbase options for the 274ci air-cooled overhead valve six-cylinder engine, which produced 60 horsepower.

In 1926, veteran designer Raymond Dietrich joined the company, and his designs were built by Walker Body Company of Amesbury, Mass..

As a result, Franklin became a leader in fully-enclosed sedan coachwork, of which this 1929 example is typically stylish...