Here is the first Franklin Pirate in its Salon photo

A.J.:  IIRC, once this original Pirate was sold from the Salon, it was stolen and totaled in an accident.  Fortunately, Franklin and Dietrich continued the concept in series customs.

I think the follow on cars were much better looking.  This car reminds me a bit of the 34 Studebaker.

Travis,  something you saw in the 1940s with many american cars.  The running board was there but buried in the body.

Notice how relatively shallow the rear fender is as well, suggest he widened the passenger compartment significantly.  Given the body was still mounted on top of the frame rails, it would be interesting to see the doors open on a Pirate to see how that part of the structure was handled.

Steve,  are there any other known photos of this car?

I was thinking the same thing about seeing it with the doors open. It would be interesting to see if it had sills typical of cars of the time or if the floor was extended out further.

I'll bet it drops down over the frame with the running board  in the usual spot just hidden by the door.

It is the "Chrysler" look.  Which I believe came from Murray/Dietrich?  Steve?

Honestly, I forgot about that grille style on Chryslers. They were Murray bodies through 1929?

Hopefully Steve knows the answer to that.  I'm trying to think besides Franklin and Chrysler who had that styling feature.   I liked painted radiator shells but not sure how I feel about this style.   Don't hate it.

The "ribbon radiator shell" was an effort to make the hood look longer, was applied across most Mopar lines except those Dodge models that were still being integrated into the corporate structure.  Chrysler Art & Color had only been instituted in mid-1928, I suspect it might have been one of their first styling contributions.     I don't recall Dietrich as having had styling influence on their production cars, only supplying the custom bodies for Imperial.  The public wasn't crazy about the 'ribbon' shell, thought it made the front look weak and insubstantial.  Fortuantely, someone at Briggs/LeBaron promoted the over-the-cowl, full-length hood paired with a full-depth, styled radiator shell.  No doubt the Jordan Speedway Model Z influenced that concept.  How ironic, if one wanted that latest 1932 style, one had to go to the Plymouth-DeSoto dealer to get it even before it was given to production Chryslers.  Well, except for those who could afford a LeBaron Custom Imperial CL...

Travis:
They might have been, though the Chrysler/Briggs relationship was strengthening in that period.  Contracting with either of the majors, Murray or Briggs, dependent upon if maker's strength and unit prices were closed or open bodies, was the industry practice.   That didn't exclude body makers such as Hayes or even series semi-customs from Locke to fill out the catalogued styles.  Other than the body maker plate if one was attached is sometimes the only way to know for sure.
Steve

Thanks, Steve. I can see why that grille style didn’t really catch on. Depending on the color that the grille bars were painted, they can look a bit unremarkable when viewed from the front. Of course, on Franklins, they gave them a bit more chrome to add some presence.

I love this car but the radiator shell gives the appearance of being cut off.

Those '29-'30 Chrysler Imperial Series L suffer most from the "ribbon radiator", do look cut off.  It lacks a certain substantial luxury car look even as much as the 'Vauxhall' hood surfaces otherwise contribute a rick look.

The best thing Franklin did was to have Ray Dietrich as styling consultant to update the de Causse design which was becoming due by 1930.   Because Franklins weren't big cars for their price class, they needed all the road presence they could get.