Herbert Henry Franklin was an Upstate New York industrialist. He was introduced to John Wilkinson, a Cornell-educated engineer, and became enamored of an automobile that Wilkinson had built. His company began production of the car in 1902.

A man of strong principles, Wilkinson was fanatical about weight, and this led him to dispense with cooling water and to use the lightest suspension components possible, like tubular axles and flexible, full-elliptic springs. Aluminum-clad bodies and laminated ash frames also aided his objectives. He also believed that beauty stemmed from functionality, not ornamentation, and as such, during his tenure Franklins did not look like other cars.

From 1904 a “barrel-front” hood was adopted, with a simple screen at the front to let the cooling air in. Later on, Renault-style “scuttle” hoods were adopted, and still later, a “horse-collar” grille. There was no mistaking a Franklin on the road.

This “barrel-front” Franklin was purchased from the Imperial Palace Collection in 1998. Previous owners have included Jim Thomas of Miami, Florida. The recipient of a 1,600-hour-plus restoration, it is painted in deep blue with a white undercarriage. Dark blue accents on the running gear are very attractive. An AACA National First Award attests to the quality. The car has Badger Brass Solar 656 acetylene headlamps, with carbide generator and oil carriage lamps. An accessory windshield by L. Lawrence of Newark, New Jersey, a quality manufacturer, has been fitted, mating to a new touring top and side curtains. The tires are P.J.A. Pneumatic 30 × 3 all-white clinchers. The overall result is a very tidy and comfortable car for touring with five passengers.