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Mercer 1910-1925 - the active driver

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Created in 2012

Reading time 3min

Written by:

Roger Gloor

Photos:

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Martin Schatzmann

Chip Riegel - Courtesy Gooding & Company

Archiv

Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

Martin Schatzmann

Chip Riegel - Courtesy Gooding & Company

Archiv

Mercer Type 35R Raceabout (1911) - als Lot 235 an der RM Auction in Monterey am 15./16. August 2014

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Mercer Raceabout Model 35C, 1912 (4 Zylinder, 4920 cm3, 58 PS).

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Mercer Model 35 J Raceabout (1913) - Sieger in der Kategorie "Mercer" - Pebble Beach 2012 (D-03)

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Mercer Series 5 Raceabout (1921) - nicht in der Wertung in der Kategorie "Mercer" - Pebble Beach 2012 (D-06)

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Mercer Series 5 Raceabout (1920) - im Angebot der Gooding & Co Auktion von Pebble Beach am 16./17. August 2014

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Mercer Series 6 Raceabout (1925) - Platz 3 in der Kategorie "Mercer" - Pebble Beach 2012 (D-07)

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Summary

There have been around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of which have disappeared. Mercer is also a brand that can be counted among these lost brands. The best known was the Raceabout, of which around 800 were built. Significant racing victories boosted Mercer's sales success. After many changes and modifications at Mercer, production was discontinued in 1925.

Estimated reading time: 3min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Duesenberg was certainly one of America's most renowned car brands. But in his 1955 book "The Kings of the Road", automotive expert Ken W. Purdy had at least as much praise for the Mercer brand. He was particularly taken with the Raceabout sports model: "It ran at 70 mph (113 km/h) or more at all times, and the steering and road holding were adapted to this speed," was his quintessence. In contrast, Jan P. Norbye, another renowned car historian, did not even list the Mercer brand in his 1981 work "The 100 Greatest American Cars"! The Mercer Automobile Co. was founded in 1909 in Trenton (Mercer County), New Jersey, by a few experienced car people. From 1910 onwards, it built massive four-cylinder vehicles with different bodies. The Raceabout, a rudimentary two-seater without a roof, windows or doors, which was produced in around 800 units by 1915, became legendary. Nevertheless, a circular monocle windshield could be mounted on the steering column of the Mercer.

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