1911→1914 Mercer Series 35

The Mercer Racebout was one of Americas first sports cars and one of the most important cars made during the brass age. At the time of manufacture, the car was guaranteed to do 70 mph in a time when very few people had gone over 50.

The Mercer Automobile Company was already well established, since it was the Walter Automobile Company which began in 1902. The factory in Trenton, New Jersey was eventually bought by the Roebling family which was famous for building the Brooklyn Bridge. They embarked on an ambitious plan to build road cars.

The first Mercer was the Type 30 and the Type 35 became Mercer’s second car. It had a new T-shaped cylinder head designed by Finley Robertson Porter that produced around 60 bhp. At the time, the Porter engine was running on much higher compression than it’s contemporary cars and could produce more horsepower from less displacement. This meant the Type 35 was both powerful and light and essentially became the first production race car. The first Mercers featured a T-head engine which utilized massive 2.25 inch valves. These valves, with high-compression pistons and high lift cams, offered 56 horsepower at 1900 rpm.

The Mercer Raceabout was low-slung car. The engine sat deep into the chassis providing for a low center of gravity. Furthermore a low driving position was achieved thanks to the extremely raked steering column.

When built for racing, Mercer sold the raceabout bodywork which was stripped of all amenities. This was sold without a windshield, soft-top and even had no bodywork over the rear of the car. Furthermore the fenders, running boards and lights were designed to be detachable which transformed the car into Grand Prix guide in about 20 minutes. For more civil travel, Mercer offered the Runabout which was the same car fitted with a starter, generator, windshield, soft top and optional doors.

From the beginning, Mercer racked up a number of race wins on both dirt tracks and hill climbs. Mercer however was unable to achieve the coveted win at Indianapolis. Main competition in motor sports came from companies such as Stutz and Simplex which used more brute force over precision. J.B.

Mercer historian and registry keeper Stan Smith estimates that 1,700 T-head cars came from Mercer between 1911 to 1914. Of these about 1/3 came with the Raceabout body and 1/4 had Runabout coachwork.

Chassis & Sales

1281 – The example featured here, chassis #1281, was sold by Christies Motor Cars at their 2002 Pebble Beach Auction for $865,500 USD.

In Detail

submitted by	Richard Owen
type	Racing Car
production years	1911 – 1914
built at	Trenton, New Jersey, USA
price $	$ 2,500
engine	Inline-4 w/T-Head
position	Front Longitudinal
aspiration	Natural
ignition	Dual spark
block material	Cast Iron
valvetrain	2 Valves per Cyl
fuel feed	Flechter Updraft Carburetor
displacement	5069 cc / 309.3 in³
bore	112.5 mm / 4.43 in
stroke	127 mm / 5.0 in
compression	7.0:1
engine designer	Finley Robertson Porter
power	41.8 kw / 56 bhp @ 1900 rpm
specific output	11.05 bhp per litre
bhp/weight	55.12 bhp per tonne
body / frame	Steel over Steel Chassis
driven wheels	RWD
wheel type	Wooden Artillery
front tires	32 x 4 BFGoodrich
rear tires	32 x 4 BFGoodrich
front brakes	None
rear brakes	Drums w/Contacting Shoe on Driveshaft
steering	Worm & Gear
f suspension	Rigid Axle w/Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs, Hartford Friction Shock Absorbers
r suspension	Rigid Axle w/Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs, JM Dampers
curb weight	1016 kg / 2240 lbs
wheelbase	2743 mm / 108.0 in
front track	1422 mm / 56.0 in
rear track	1422 mm / 56.0 in
length	4114.8 mm / 162 in
width	1727.2 mm / 68 in
height	1346.2 mm / 53 in
transmission	Brown & Lipe 4-Speed Manual
gear ratios	3.40:1, 1.83:1, 1.30:1, 1.00:1
top speed	~123.9 kph / 77.0 mph
fuel capacity	75.70 litres or 20 gal.

Auction Sales History

1913 Mercer 35J Raceabout 1143 – did not sell for $308,000 Recent Mechanical Attention. Ready For Further Touring And Show. Only One Family Ownership Since The Car Left The Harrah Collection In The 1970s. A Well-Sorted Raceabout That Has Been Event Proven Over The Past Three Decades. The Most Coveted Year For The Definitive American Brass Era Sports Car.
Auction Source: 2014 Pebble Beach Auctions by Gooding & Company

1911 Mercer Type 35R Raceabout 35-R-354 – sold for $2,530,000 Ex-Henry Austin Clark Jr.; single-family ownership since 1949. Formerly owned by racing driver William C. Spear. The earliest extant 1911 T-head Mercer. Outstanding patina that dates to World War II.
Auction Source: 2014 Monterey by RM Auctions

1912 Mercer Raceabout – sold for $625,000 The Canary Yellow Raceabout offered here has been a part of the David V. Uihlein Collection since the 1940s. Based on a contemporary Runabout model, it was converted to Raceabout configuration by Uihlein himself, who performed both the bodywork and woodwork, the quality of which earned the car the Antique Automobile Club of America’s 1951 “Best Car of the Meet” award at Lake Forest, Illinois. Sixty years later the car remains an exceptional vintage artifact whose every detail – from its intricately fashioned brasswork to the rare Flechter carburetor feeding the siamesed 4-cylinder engine – evokes the adventurous spirit of America’s automotive Brass Age.