Kalamazoo, Michigan, September 6, 2017
The Gilmore is an amazing collection of cars, too large to see in a day. Multiple buildings spread out over many acres of what was once farmland. It is actually located in Kalamazoo, but that is the closest town that you might be able to find on a map.
One of the exhibits is an old diner, a social change created by the automobile. It is not a static display, it is a working diner. Having lunch at George and Sally's is part of the experience at the Gilmore.
The car in the parking lot is a 1935 Packard, which had just completed the Great Race from Jacksonville, Florida, to Traverse City, Michigan. This car is part of the Gilmore collection. Their cars are not just for show, they are driven, in this case long and hard.
1931 Franklin Pirate Sedan
This is a one of a kind, custom bodied Franklin. All Franklin cars had air-cooled engines. This construction allowed them to also make lightweight airplane engines. This custom car sold new for $8750, the cost of 20 Model A Fords.
1932 Franklin Airman Sedan
Advertised as "The car with the supercharged airplane engine," this was an upgrade of the standard Franklin sedan. It did not have the traditional roots type supercharger of the time, it took the pressure built up by the large cooling fan for the motor and slightly pressurized the carburetor. Franklins had large radiator grills as that was the styling vogue of the day. Being air cooled, there is no radiator behind the large, chromed grill.
