Automobile Arguments

Brock Yates’s article (February/March 1986) on the ten greatest American cars was so interesting that I find it difficult to choose which of his selections—the Stutz or perhaps the Chevrolet—to delete in order to insert the superb make he overlooked.

The Franklin, manufactured in Syracuse, New York, was the foremost example of air-cooled automotive motors. In addition, its four full-elliptic springs allowed it to reign supreme in its incredible ability to maintain speed over the usually very rough, unpaved roadways typical of its time.

A carefully crafted luxury car, it culminated in a magnificent V-12 that sunk in the depths of the Depression.