1912 Mercer Model 35 Raceabout

The Mercer Company was formed in 1909 in Trenton, New Jersey, taking its name from Mercer County, where Trenton is located. Production of Mercer chassis frames and bodies began in 1910. The first Mercers used a 34-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine built by Beaver Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The new Mercer, which cost $2,085, was capable of a top speed of 60 mph and was so flexible that the driver could go from 4 mph to 60 all in the same high gear.

Mercers were the brainchild of the Roebling brothers whose family had invented the support cables for the Brooklyn Bridge. The Raceabouts were a rich man's toy, costing about the same as five new Fords. They were designed for racing and did so successfully on tracks all over the United States. Each car was guaranteed to do a mile in 51 seconds. They were very advanced and little was needed to prepare them for racing, although some owners added a monocle windshield for protection, a feature that made them easily identifiable.