Rusty_OToole Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Years ago I read a magazine article and interview of Death Valley Scotty and his castle. He said the Franklin company sought his endorsement of their air cooled motors, and gave him a new car every year for 7 years. He said when he was through with them he shoved them over a cliff.I wonder if there is any chance this is true? Does anyone remember Franklin ads with his endorsement? If the cars ever existed it would be worth looking around the desert ravines for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I've been to the castle and taken the tour twice. Scotty was a notorious liar and con man. He never owned the castle and rarely was seen there, except for promotional events. One of Scotty's cars is there, a 36 Dodge panel. Perhaps Franklin gave him cars or maybe it was another of his tall tales. I'm sure the area around the castle has been pretty thoroughly picked over. Besides, the whole area is a national park. If you found a car, in any condition, it would have to remain there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Braverman Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I think I've seen almost every Franklin ad, and I've never heard of Death Valley Scotty. I have heard of Cannonball Baker, and seen his endorsements of Franklin cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I have been to Death Valley a lot near Scotty's Castle on Jeep trips and have never found any Franklin parts, although I DID find two radiator shells for cars that I had at the time. One was for a 1926 Chrysler and the other was for my 1931 Dodge. Odd that I found the two things I needed and no other '26 Chrysler or '31 DB parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I have been to Death Valley a lot near Scotty's Castle on Jeep trips and have never found any Franklin parts, although I DID find two radiator shells for cars that I had at the time. One was for a 1926 Chrysler and the other was for my 1931 Dodge. Odd that I found the two things I needed and no other '26 Chrysler or '31 DB parts.Thats cuz you are living right. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prs519 Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Somewhere in my collection of True West magazines (going back to 1953), there was an in-depth article about Scotty, who was a superb showman. It hinted also that he was a bit slippery, and told the story of his receiving a high-end automobile in, as I recall, 1906-08. Maybe a Columbia, Michigan, or Premiere. He basically sweet-talked the benefactors out of this prize, based on his self-importance. I believe it said some form of remuneration was to have ensued, but never did. Quite an interesting fellow to read about, but I doubt the story of the cliff diving Franklins. Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoringicons Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 (edited) Death Valley Scotty had a 1906 National. The really big touring car. In recent years it was owned by the Blackhawk Collection and the Imperial Palace and most recently purchased and restored by the John Rich Collection in Pennsylvania. It was at Pebble Beach a couple of years ago as well as some of the other concours. An absolutely impressive motorcar.See the link below:http://www.jwrautomuseum.com/vehicles/1906nme7pt.html Edited March 27, 2014 by motoringicons (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prs519 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Thank you for clearing that up; yes, it was a National I was trying to think of. I imagine ownership of that car went far to oil Scotty's ego even more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth Stewart Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Was there back in the 70. Enjoyed the trip very much. Still fresh in my mind. Grat place to visit. The stories are great also. Scotty made his mark in History Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I seem to remember a large original early 30s car in the shed there back about 1970 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I was there about ten years ago, There was an old car or two around there. 34 Dodge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RansomEli Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 It took me a while, but I finally found the photo I purchased at Chickasha several years ago. The photo shows two Franklins (c. 1923-4). The photo contains a caption: Franklin "Desert Camels," May 31, 1929 - Scotty's Furnace Creek Ranch, Death Valley, CA.I recall several old-timers talking about Death Valley Scotty having several Franklins. This is the first evidence I have seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richentee Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Ralph Hamlin, the Los Angeles Franklin dealer, conducted several publicity events (starting in 1921) in Death Valley (and other desert and mountain areas) to demonstrate that air-cooled cars did not overheat and were entirely capable of handling high stress driving. The picture above was released as part of the publicity in 1924. The car on the left (Camel II) belonged to Hamlin, it has dealer's plates and was outfitted for the rigors of the trials. The right hand car was part of the support group. Whether or not Scotty owned a Franklin is a different question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RansomEli Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Thanks for the information. At least we've got a Franklin in Death Valley. Like you said, it's still a question whether Scotty owned one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus Tremaine Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Here is some more info on franklins 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted October 8, 2023 Share Posted October 8, 2023 The article text is too blurry to read, only this part is distinct enough to be legible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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