1920 Mercer Series 5 Raceabout

The Mercer Series 5 Sporting was introduced in 1915 and this model is the 5th generation. Charles G. Jackson of Mount Vernon, Ohio, was the dedicated enthusiast, historian, and Mercer expert who had driven this car for 47 years, having purchased it from the original owner in 1946. John Gillette of Wadsworth, Ohio, purchased the car in 1991 with 93,156 miles on the odometer. In the process of a complete body off-restoration of the rolling chassis, engine and body, Mr. Gillette learned a great deal about Mr. Jackson. Jackson had authored a three-part article for the March, June and September 1951 issues of Antique Automobile entitled 'Mercer, A Technical History.' He later partnered with others to write the Mercer instruction manual for L-head engines made between 1915 and 1923.

This is one of 4,000 Mercers built with the L-head engine, of which only about 60 are known to exist. The 298 cubic-inch engine produces well over 70 horsepower and had the highest speed of any stock motor of its size in America at the time.

The current owners purchased the car in the fall of 2009.

Built by the Same Company That Built the Brooklyn Bridge
The Mercer Automobile Company was founded in Trenton, New Jersey in 1909 and was funded by the Roebling and Krus engineering company, which is best known for building the Brooklyn Bridge.

The earliest Mercers were renowned for their outstanding performance and could be taken from the showroom floor directly to the race track without any modifications. The most famous Mercer was the T-head raceabout, built from 1911 to 1914. Drivers who set records in early Mercers included the legendary Barney Oldfield and Ralph DePalma.

In 1915, Mercer introduced a new model with a revolutionary L-head, four cylinder, long stroke engine. This design was used until the end of production in 1926.

This 1920 Mercer Series 5 Sporting was one of six different body styles available that year. It was designed to be the four passenger companion car to the popular raceabout model. It sold new for $4,200, which was about the price of eleven new Model T Fords.

This Series 5 Sporting is the fifth iteration of the car introduced in 1915. It was purchased by its current owner in 1991 with 93,156 miles from the estate of Mr. Charles G. Jackson, who had driven the car for 47 years. Mr. Jackson had purchased the car in Bellville, Ohio in 1946.

The car owner has the car a complete body off-restoration with everything being refurbished, replaced or rebuilt. The transmission was changed from Hyatt roller bearings to ball bearings - a change Mercer made in later years.

This Mercer is one of about 4,000 Mercers ever built with the L-head engine. Currently, only about 60 are known to exist. There is a four-speed gearbox with a 3.62:1 final drive that was made standard by Mercer in 1913. The 298 cubic-inch engine is capable of producing over 70 horsepower at 2800 RPM. The engine was the work of chief engineer Erik H. Delling who patterned the engine after the L-head Deltal racing motor, and introduced it for 1915 after Finley R. Porter's departure.

Upon completion of its restoration, the car was shown at Hershey in 2005, receiving a First Junior Award in addition to a National Award. In 2007, it received a score of 400 points for an AACA Grand National Award.

In 2009, this Touring car was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey presented by RM Auctions where it was expected to sell for $150,000 - $200,000. As bidding came to a close, the lot had been sold for the sum of $242,000, including buyer's premium.