Mercer 35J Raceabout
Do you know what the idea of a fast car was in the early 1900’s? It had to be a combination of powerful engine, great ergonomics and fine handling. The usual ‘fast’ cars were just a big engine within a steel body and were literally deadly machines, somewhat like a tradition. In 1910, newborn Mercer brought in the 35J Raceabout, a proper combination of all three requirements.
It was one of the first American sports cars. Mercer first stood in 1908, named after the local county by two rich families of Trenton, New Jersey. They were Kuser and Roebling. While Kuser helped with the financial issues, Roebling was made president of the company and his nephew Washington was general manager. Roebling’s were famous for their engineering of the Brooklyn Bridge a few decades earlier. They hired Finley R. Porter as chief engineer to convert Washington’s ideas into design; the Mercer should be a fast, low-slung machine.
Porter designed the 35J in such a way that it achieved the demanded ‘lowness’ by rising the frame rails up at both ends to free the suspension, preceding the Type 30 Speedster. The 35J steadily became famous in the race world and finally it won the 1913 Grand Prix, driven by Eddie Pullen. The car was produced between the years 1910-1914 and only 1000 cars were produced, since the buyers were rich heirs. Only 17 of these cars are left today. The Mercer was such a powerful engine that it could run through dirt tracks and hill races, and still win. It had top speed of 70 mph, whereas 50 mph used to be considered as ‘flying’.
Specific output of the 35J was 11.47 bhp per litre, a thing to be surprised at. It weighed between 1016-1043 kg, as during production the cars kept being modified. The car certainly had power, ranging from 40-43 kw. The gear was 3 speed manual and the car ran 12 bhp per litre. The engine was a T-Head with 2 valve cylinder, which was based from the Beaver, another race car of the era. The engine was so deep in the chassis that it provided the low centre of gravity. The handling of the car was such that it made the Raceabout a sophisticated machine, giving big competition to other racecar drivers.
The 35J last winning race was in 1913 Grand Prix, after which it had many failures. Washington Roebling died in the Titanic in 1912 and Porter left the company then. Attempts were made to bring in replacements and make the Mercer more competitive than before but it failed. Competition became tougher as by 1914 came the Stutz Bearcat, which used a 4 valve cylinder instead of two. Mercer then reduced the production of race cars and produced civil cars for the public till 1925.
Recently, a restored example was offered for sale by Christies Motor Car for nearly $865,000.
- Hiren Naresh
Tags: cars, mercer, mercer 35j raceabout, mercer cars, mercer racecars
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