236ci OHV Inline 6-Cylinder Engine Single Carburetor 46bhp 3-Speed Manual Transmission Leaf Sprung Front and Rear Suspension 4-Wheel Drum Brakes *First model year of the Airman model *A well-maintained older restoration *A fantastic touring machine *Ex-Harrah and Tupelo Museum Collection THE FRANKLIN America's longest-lived and most successful air-cooled automobile, the Franklin was the work of engineer John Wilkinson, whose innovative design, produced in prototype form for the New York Automobile Company, was taken up by Syracuse-based die-casting manufacturer Herbert H Franklin.

Franklin's company sold its first car - a runabout - in June 1902 and a dozen more before the year's end.

In an age when the customary power unit for such a vehicle was a water-cooled single, Wilkinson's 1.7-liter, air-cooled 'four' was highly unusual.

The Franklin's other advanced features included overhead valves (inlets mechanically operated from 1905), throttle speed control, float-type carburetor, two...