IT'S SUNDAY
And that means it's Motorhead Time. Today's offering is a 1912 Mercer 35J Raceabout. With the accompanying video, this may well be one of the best Motorhead offerings ever. Thank you Internet search.
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Manufacturer - Mercer Automobile Co., Trenton, NJ
Engine - 4 cylinder T Head, 58 horsepower, 300 cu. in.
Transmission - 4 speed
Frame and Chassis - Lightweight Mercer steel frame
Wheels & Brakes - Wood wheels, Hartford shocks and mechanical brakes
History - The Mercer 35J was one of the most admired sports cars of the decade. It was capable of over 90 mph in stock trim. The Raceabout's inline 4-cylinder T-head engine displaced 293 cubic inches and developed 55 horsepower at 1,650 revolutions per minute.
In 1914, Eddie Pullen won the American Grand Prize held at Santa Monica, California, by racing for 403 miles in a Raceabout. Later that same year, Eddie also won The Corona Road Race held in Corona, Cali-fornia. His average speed of 86.5 mph broke the record of 78.72 mph set by Teddy Tetzlaff at Santa Monica in 1912.
In the 1914 road races in Elgin, Illinois, two Raceabouts collided and wrecked. Spencer Wishart, a champion racer who always wore shirt and tie under his overalls, was killed along with the car's mechanic, John Jenter. This prompted the company to cancel its racing program.
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Now.....let's start it up and take it for a ride: https://www.facebook.com/RevsInstitute/videos/exercising-the-1912-mercer/914210700344857/
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BEST IN LARGE.
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