Engine - 300 cubic inch T-Head 4-Cylinder
Transmission - Brown & Lipe 4-Speed
Horsepower - 58 at 1,900 RPM
Production - Estimated less than 150 Raceabouts for 1914

“The Champion Light Car”

Often considered America’s first sports car, the T-Head Mercer was introduced in 1910 for the 1911 model year and quickly became famed for its high speed, superior handling, advanced design, and ultimately its immense successes on the racetrack. Credit for the Mercer Raceabout can be given to Finley Robertson Porter, the engineer who brought Washington A. Roebling II’s idea to life. The Type 35-J was a rather average displacement automobile for its time, measuring at just 300 cubic inches, but given its advancements in design paired with a lightweight body resulting in a superior power-to-weight ratio, it was a quick and nimble machine. In 1911, Mercer Type 35-Js were entered into six major races, winning five of them. By 1912 famed race car driver and Mercer Factory Team Captain, Ralph De Palma, had set eight new class world records with the Raceabout. The Mercer Raceabout, in its purest form, was a short-lived stint for the New Jersey based manufacturer, W.A. Roebling II. He perished in 1912 aboard the Titanic, and Finley Porter resigned from the company in late 1914, with his position filled by Eric H. Delling who would have the firm move away from T-Head engine construction.

This 1914 Mercer Type 35-J is one of a small handful of authentic examples known to exist to this day, and still retains its original chassis, drivetrain, and sheet metal. The history of Chassis No. 1967 can be traced back to the mid 1930s when owned by the Socony Vacuum Oil Company, often used for promotional efforts. In 1936 this 35-J was driven in the Vanderbilt Cup Old-Timer Race by Ralph De Palma, a commemorative race organized by George Robertson, the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup winner. This Mercer was also driven by Barney Oldfield as it rolled down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan as an opening feature of the “Old Car Endurance Test” at the National Auto Show in November 1936.

In 1944, James Melton, famed opera singer and pioneering automobile collector, would convince Socony Oil to part ways with the Raceabout. Quickly becoming a centerpiece of Melton’s fleet, he featured the 1914 Mercer on the cover of his book, Bright Wheels Rolling, published in 1954. It later passed to Edward King of New Jersey, and then Tom Lester of Lester Tires. By 1971, Jerry Foley of Jacksonville Florida had acquired the car from Lester in a trade deal involving cash and a 1912 Pierce-Arrow. Foley retained the car until 2023, an amazing 52 years of curatorship. The Mercer Raceabout continues to be one of the most prized American automobiles by every generation of enthusiast. It is estimated that fewer than 20 authentic examples of the T-Head Type-35 J exist to this day.