Franklin Olympic History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
Start with a make and model. Add a year where a detailed guide is available.
Model history available. Detailed year guides are not published for this model.
Browse this model's history and yearsHistory
Desperate for a cheaper car to sell into the Depression, Franklin struck a hasty deal with Reo — another maker near collapse — for 1933. The Olympic was essentially Reo's 118-inch-wheelbase Flying Cloud body fitted with a Franklin air-cooled six at the Syracuse plant; Reo shipped bodies from Lansing, Michigan, and Franklin completed a like number of Olympics the following day.
By most accounts the Olympic was a genuinely good car, but it came far too late to save the company. Only 1,218 Franklins (Olympics among them) were built for 1933 and a mere 109 for the swan-song 1934 model year before Franklin declared bankruptcy in April 1934.
Body styles
- Sedan
- Coupe
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Franklin Olympic
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.