Air-Cooled 1915 Franklin automobile

This is a copyright free photograph of Mrs. F.S. Bliven and her daughter.  Mrs. Bliven is driving a 1907 Franklin Model D roadster.  Her husband, Frank, was a Franklin automobile dealer located in Washington, D.C. at the turn of the century.

The Franklin motorcars were air-cooled while all the other car manufacturers during that time period chose water-cooled engines.  Many people preferred Franklin's car because air-cooled meant no worry when the winter cold came.  Anti-freeze was not invented yet and the water-cooled radiators had to be drained. 

Also, Franklin motorcars came with heat and ac; an advertisement for Franklin cars around the early 1900s sported that "You use it all the time -- 50 degrees below zero, 120 degrees in the shade."  Franklin's cars were lightweight compared to the other cars manufactured back then.  Franklin made most of car body with aluminum or wood.


In 1914, Franklin proved the effectiveness of his air-cooled cars when 116 Franklin stock cars in 116 parts of the country ran 100 miles in low gear without stopping the engine.  Yet, with all these benefits, Franklin cars sold for half the price of a Ford Model-A of the same year.