Car No. 1273
Engine No. 1004
Transmission No. 803
Stirrup No. 123I

Here we stand in the presence of greatness among one of the indisputable icons of America's performance car legacy. Mercer's Raceabout was introduced in 1911 and virtually overnight, it redefined standards for performance automobiles and moved the needle on technical innovation through its pioneering design and advanced specifications.

The Mercer's heart was a T-head four-cylinder engine of just under five liters, producing approximately 55 horsepower, a remarkable figure in its day. Designed by engineer Finley Robertson Porter, the Mercer achieved a low center of gravity thanks to the engine sitting as low as possible in the chassis, allowing for excellent handling and roadholding, while a raked steering column allowed for a svelte low profile. The Raceabout was marketed as a car that would exceed 70 mph in an era when most cars on America's roads struggled to crack 40. The reality, however, was that a Raceabout in stock form was capable of more like 90 mph—if its driver was brave enough—and could easily be souped up to hit the magic “century” mark.

It was a car designed for racing and wealthy sportsmen alike, and race they did, winning overall in five of six events the factory entered in 1911, and notably finishing third overall at the second running of the Indianapolis 500 in 1912. Nineteen-thirteen brought further updates and innovations to the model, notably including the addition of a four-speed transmission in place of the earlier model's three-speed. Only a few dozen of these cars exist today, with many of the remaining examples having been converted to Raceabout bodywork from Runabouts, or cars which have been put together over the years around engines or other spares. Very few surviving Raceabouts are known to have been delivered as Raceabouts from new, and even fewer can boast a documented history from day one. This is one such Mercer.

Mercer 35-J Raceabout Serial No. 35J-1273, Engine No. 1004

This 1913 Type 35-J Raceabout is offered for sale after a remarkable 65 years of cherished ownership by a single family in the Lone Star State of Texas. Its history has been meticulously documented over the decades and, quite remarkable for a 111-year old automobile, its ownership is known and traceable back to its very first owner.

Delivered new as a Raceabout, this example was sold in 1913 to Rufus C. Cushman, Jr. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is documented by written statements from Cushman, as well as in a 1958 affidavit given by William Crepeau of Cambridge, who stated that he was the salesman who actually sold the car to Cushman while employed at the Fred S. Smith Company.

Cushman would enjoy the car for the first six years of its life, selling it in March 1919 to Raymond N. Skilton, a hockey player from Cambridge, for $1,900 as recorded in historical documentation and bills of sale on file. The first known photo of the Raceabout, dated 1919, shows Skilton and four young children sitting happily upon the newly purchased Mercer. The car was reported to have originally been grey, according to an account from Skilton's son-in-law, and appears to have lacked several features with which it is fitted today, including a monocle windshield, center mounted Rushmore searchlight, and third “dickey seat” mounted atop the passenger side running board.

Skilton would enjoy the car for a few months and clearly was interested in exploring the limits of the Mercer's performance potential on the roads surrounding Cambridge. In 1919, the 30-year-old was involved in a high-speed accident while attempting to race a train; he left the road, the Mercer hit a tree and rolled several times.

Two period images document the aftermath of this 1919 accident. The Mercer can be seen upside down, with its wooden spoke wheels broken. A handwritten caption on the back of one photo captures the scene: “Mercer was going about 80 mph and clipped rear of mailman's Buick which was backing out of a driveway. Mercer flipped several times. Minor injuries only.”

It is understood that Skilton had the car promptly repaired, but given that the car's frame had been bent in the accident, to repair it properly necessitated the substitution of a replacement chassis. As a result, the car does not exhibit a chassis number stamping on the rear crossmember. Following its return to the road, Skilton continued to enjoy the Raceabout for two more decades, reportedly gifting it to his wife as a wedding present in 1924. According to Skilton's son-in-law, in 1925 their baby was nearly born in the Raceabout after a rather shaky ride on the local roads! The Skiltons would ultimately retain the Mercer until about 1940-41. Around that time, Skilton apparently loaned the car, under pretenses which are unclear, to Eddie Herbert of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, apparently for the purpose of sawing wood (the intention being to hook up a buzz saw to the rear axle). It appears the car was never modified, however, and Herbert allegedly gave up on the Mercer after being unable to get the car running; it is understood that he sold the car for $30 to Roderic Blood of Newton, Massachusetts in August 1941. A period image available in digital form depicts the Mercer around this time in New Hampshire, looking forlorn and shabby after what appears to have been a period of disuse and some neglect. From Blood the Mercer would be sold on to Jack Fetterolf of Pennsylvania in March 1942, for $300.

By the early 1940s a “vintage car” scene was starting to emerge and the idea of collecting the great classics blossomed among a tight knit group of early enthusiasts. Mercer Raceabouts were starting to be revered and collected and an owner's group was becoming formalized, with Mercer values correspondingly on the rise. The list of Mercer Raceabout owners would grow to include pioneering collectors such as David Uihlein, Henry Austin Clark, and Bill Harrah, sportsmen such as Cunningham founder Briggs Cunningham, legendary automotive artist Peter Helck, among numerous other automotive luminaries. Jack Fetterolf was one of these early enthusiasts who recognized the many attributes of Mercer's 35 Raceabout and sought to add one to his stable.

Upon purchase, Fetterolf engaged Samuel Baily, a fellow Mercer owner, to complete an initial restoration on the Mercer to ready it for vintage car outings. A September 1942 photo depicts three Raceabouts at an AACA club outing at Lamb's Tavern in Pennsylvania, these including Fetterolf's now-restored car 1004 (our subject car) flanked by Alec Ulmann's Raceabout as well as Samuel Baily's. Ulmann would go on to establish the Sebring, Florida endurance races some years later, bringing FIA endurance competition to the United States.

As Mercers were gaining in value, Raymond Skilton decided to try and pursue an ownership claim to his old car, alleging it had been stolen from him, and period correspondence and documentation on file details his efforts in the 1940s and early 1950s to try and regain ownership. Ultimately, Skilton did not possess a title document or any copies of prior registration paperwork, and with the Mercer having undergone several changes of ownership since the alleged theft, he was forced to concede his ownership claim to the car as, after all, Jack Fetterolf had a valid Pennsylvania title and possession of the car. Fetterolf would continue to enjoy his Mercer for the next 17 years until 1959, actively participating in the Mercer Association and AACA activities, and generally enjoying his Raceabout.

Dan Williams and Mercer 35-J 1004: A 65-Year Single Family Ownership Begins

Dan Williams was another of these pioneering collectors. Beginning in the early 1950s, the Dallas, Texas based enthusiast and businessman began to amass a stable of classics that would include, among others, a 1903 Curved Dash Olds, a Pierce-Arrow, a Packard, and ultimately a Model J Duesenberg. A T-Head Mercer Raceabout, however, had eluded him, and was the one car he just had to add to his collection.

Dan joined the Mercer Associates and began a calculated strategy to obtain one, approaching various Mercer owners with gifts and offers to sell and usually being turned down politely but firmly. One owner whom Williams approached repeatedly was the famous automotive artist Peter Helck, who pleaded with him in a hand signed original letter contained within the car's history file to stop the “showering of gifts” after he received a batch of melons which had rotted during shipping from Texas.

Ultimately in March 1959 Williams found a willing seller in Jack Fetterolf, who was willing to trade his Mercer Raceabout 35-J with engine number 1004 for $14,000 in cash on an installment plan plus Williams' Packard 1930 Packard Sport Phaeton—a princely sum for any automobile in 1959! Thus began the 65-year ownership of Dan Williams and his family.

A Mercer In The Family: Definition of a Family Heirloom Automobile

Upon acquisition, Williams sought to re-restore the Raceabout back to its former glory, now that the Baily restoration was showing its age after many years of spirited driving by Jack Fetterolf. Williams enlisted the services of fellow Mercer Associates member and Raceabout owner Ralph Buckley to commence restoration. A file of original invoices from Buckley to Williams covering the 1959-1961 period document Buckley's restoration efforts in great detail. Restoration efforts included the fitment of replacement fenders and new hood panels. Thus, these body panels do not retain Mercer body stampings, however it appears that some components were reused, as the driver's side fender “stirrup” is numbered '123I'.

With restoration complete, Williams got down to enjoying ownership of his new Mercer, posing for a lovely series of professional photos taken at White Rock Lake in Dallas in early 1961. A number of period 8x10 color prints from this photo shoot are included in the history file. One of these images was used on the back cover of the March-April 1961 Issue of Antique Automobile.

In 1963, with Williams now part of the “club”, he asked his now-friend Peter Helck if he might commission a painting of the Mercer, which Helck duly completed at a cost of $500. Please note, the consignors will retain the original Helck painting as a family memento, and it is not included in the lot. However, two original Helck sketches and two original hand signed letters from Peter Helck to Dan Williams are included in the car's file.

Dan Williams would continue to enjoy his Mercer on regular outings for many decades, using it regularly for Sunday afternoon ice cream runs with his children and grandchildren. The Raceabout would see regular use from the 1960s through the 2000s, and was a fixture in local 4th of July parades. The Mercer has been slightly upgraded for ease of use over the years with an electric starter (apparently fitted from the Skilton days) and an electric fuel pump.

Generations of Williams' family members would grow up around these cars, with the Mercer and Duesenberg as centerpieces of the collection. Eventually, the Duesenberg would be sold, but the Mercer, having been gifted to Williams' grandsons in 1987, would remain part of the family. Gradually the Mercer began to be used less often, and with Dan Williams' passing in 2001 and his wife's, Carolyn Williams, passing in 2010, the decision was made to briefly put the Mercer on public display at the Texas Museum of Automotive History at Fair Park in Dallas from 2011-2012. Since then, the Mercer has been out of the public eye, sequestered away in a Texas storage unit, waiting for the next opportunity for its T-head four-cylinder engine to roar to life and motor down the road through its four forward speeds, perhaps even find a train to race…

Here we have one of the ultimate stories of long-term ownership of one of the great early marques, coming out of the woodwork and onto the market some 65 years after it last traded hands. Any Mercer Raceabout is a special and important automobile—yet this example rises above due to its amazing, documented history spanning the last 111 years. It is, without question, one of the kings of the road.

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