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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Mercer Roared Through The ‘20s
The 1920-22 Series 5 Raceabout was the final edition of the minimalist sports cars that did so well on the race track and in the showroom.
This 1921 Mercer Series 5 Raceabout, seen at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, was in single family ownership for over eight decades. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
Catering to the sports-car market more than 90 years ago was the Mercer Series 5 Raceabout. Built between 1920 and 1922, the Series 5 was the last of the great four-cylinder Mercers, which included the legendary Raceabouts of the early 1910s.
Compared with those very minimalistic machines, the later Raceabouts were more lavishly equipped. In addition to the two-seater body, three other styles were available including the Sporting, such as the two examples shown here, one of them a highly original survivor that had been owned for many years by a former Mercer employee.
Introduced in 1911, the Mercer 35 Raceabout was one of America's earliest sports cars, rivaled only by the similar Stutz Bearcat. Equipped with just the bare necessities, these minimalist machines were hugely successful both in the show room and on the race track.
The tragic death of company founder Washington Roebling on the Titanic in 1912 and an accident in a 1914 race that took the life of both the driver and mechanic, prompted the Mercer board to withdraw from racing and to focus on building road cars.
As part of these fundamental changes, an all-new car was produced to replace the existing design in 1915. This did not sit well with Finley Robertson Porter, who had designed the 'T-Head' four cylinder engine used in the Model 35, and he left Mercer to develop his own car under the F.R.P. name.
He was replaced as chief engineer by Eric H. Delling, who was immediately tasked to create the new Mercer. This was known as the Model 22-70, and it was available with a choice of two chassis lengths and four body styles.
The model name respectively referred to the fiscal and actual horsepower figure produced by the four cylinder designed by Delling. The new engine featured a more straightforward L-Head design, which consists of a single lateral camshaft actuating side-valves. The block and integral head were cast in iron and mounted on an aluminum crankcase.
With a displacement of 298 cubic inches or just under 4.9 liters, Delling's four was slightly smaller as the highly acclaimed T-Head previously used. It was nevertheless almost twice as powerful, producing at least 70 horsepower.
Mated to a four-speed gearbox, the new engine was mounted in a straightforward steel ladder frame. The semi-elliptic leaf springs used were also conventional, although Delling greatly improved the ride by adopting the latest hydraulic Houdaille shock absorbers. Drum brakes were used on the rear wheels only.
Compared with those very minimalistic machines, the later Raceabouts were more lavishly equipped. In addition to the two-seater body, three other styles were available including the Sporting, such as the two examples shown here, one of them a highly original survivor that had been owned for many years by a former Mercer employee.
Introduced in 1911, the Mercer 35 Raceabout was one of America's earliest sports cars, rivaled only by the similar Stutz Bearcat. Equipped with just the bare necessities, these minimalist machines were hugely successful both in the show room and on the race track.
The tragic death of company founder Washington Roebling on the Titanic in 1912 and an accident in a 1914 race that took the life of both the driver and mechanic, prompted the Mercer board to withdraw from racing and to focus on building road cars.
As part of these fundamental changes, an all-new car was produced to replace the existing design in 1915. This did not sit well with Finley Robertson Porter, who had designed the 'T-Head' four cylinder engine used in the Model 35, and he left Mercer to develop his own car under the F.R.P. name.
He was replaced as chief engineer by Eric H. Delling, who was immediately tasked to create the new Mercer. This was known as the Model 22-70, and it was available with a choice of two chassis lengths and four body styles.
The model name respectively referred to the fiscal and actual horsepower figure produced by the four cylinder designed by Delling. The new engine featured a more straightforward L-Head design, which consists of a single lateral camshaft actuating side-valves. The block and integral head were cast in iron and mounted on an aluminum crankcase.
With a displacement of 298 cubic inches or just under 4.9 liters, Delling's four was slightly smaller as the highly acclaimed T-Head previously used. It was nevertheless almost twice as powerful, producing at least 70 horsepower.
Mated to a four-speed gearbox, the new engine was mounted in a straightforward steel ladder frame. The semi-elliptic leaf springs used were also conventional, although Delling greatly improved the ride by adopting the latest hydraulic Houdaille shock absorbers. Drum brakes were used on the rear wheels only.
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