1920 Mercer Series 5 Raceabout

Finley R. Porter's T-head engine design was used from 1911 through 1914. The second generation of Mercer motorcars transitioned to a long-stroke L-head engine developed by Erik Delling, designer of the Deltal Racer. This new Mercer, just like the ones it replaced, continued the tradition of compiling an enviable racing record that included wins at Chicago Speedway and Giant's Despair Hill Climb.

Mercer produced the L-Head Raceabout from 1915 until 1923. They came equipped with features such as staggered semi-bucket seats, lightweight aluminum coachwork, and clamshell fenders.

In the July-August 1959 issue of the Horseless Carriage Gazette, Dr. Henry Newman accounted for 29 surviving Raceabouts, approximately half of the known L-head Mercers.

This Mercer Series 5 Raceabout was offered for sale at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours auction presented by Gooding & Company. It represented the first time in almost 70 years that it was offered for sale. In 1945, John Roberts from Sewickley, PA, purchased the Mercer from a gentleman in Ohio, and it has been a family heirloom ever since.

In the 1940s and 1950s, it participated in various classic car events, from the Glidden Tour to a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the opening of the Sewickley Bridge. In the early 1960s, the Roberts family and their automotive treasures were featured in a Gulf Oil advertisement that ran in major publications, including The Saturday Evening Post.

In 1975, Bill (the Robert's son) purchased the car and retained it until the late 1990s, when ownership passed into the hands of his son.

The car is, according to the current owner, 'original with the exception of paint, upholstery, and floorboards,' the paint being refinished in the 1960s by Earl Scheib who charged Mr. Roberts $19.95 – 'any car, any color.'

The car is powered by a 298 cubic-inch L-head four-cylinder fitted with a single updraft carburetor offering 72 horsepower at 2000 RPM. The transmission is a four-speed manual unit and there are 2-wheel mechanical drum brakes with foot brake on the driveshaft.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2016