Mercer Type 35. Before 'Type 35' meant anything to Bugatti admirers, the designa-tion was ap

Before 'Type 35' meant anything to Bugatti admirers, the designa-tion was applied to a highly revered American sporting car, the Mercer Raceabout. Standing out from the dull ruck of average American designs, the Mercer enterprise was master-minded by W A Roebling, who belonged to the engineering family which built the Brooklyn Bridge, but who died on the Titanic in 1912. The Raceabout used a conventional but vigorous 4.9-litre four-cylinder T-head engine in a short chassis accommodating two people in bucket seats, a bolster tank and a pair of spare wheels. Produced from 1911 to 1914, the car was intended for wealthy amateur motorists, being virtually hand-built from top quality materials, and while its exposed body, devoid of hood or other protection, probably restricted sales to the drier American states, there was always a waiting list for the car during the four years it was produced. The basic design was conservative, with the four cylinders cast in pairs, dimensions being 111 x 127mm giving a total displacement

of 4916cc. A meticulously balanced, pressure-lubricated three-bearing crankshaft was employed, the two camshafts in the crank-case being gear-driven and connecting with the 57mm diameter valves via rocking arms and 'lifters'. There were two plugs per cylinder, sparked by magneto, and a single carburettor; a brake reading of 58bhp at 1700rpm on Mercer's own dynamometer was obligatory. The engine was mounted in a subframe, and a separate three-speed gearbox was employed, although a heavier five-seater touring edition had four speeds. Suspension was by the usual semi-elliptics, the springs being made of vanadium alloy steel, and Hartford friction dampers were fitted. The 110kph (70mph) Raceabout with its open scuttle, steeply-raked steering column, huge brass lamps, 'monocle' wind-screen for the driver only, exhaust cut-out and popular canary yellow paintwork set a fashion in US sporting machinery also taken up by Stutz, National, Marmon and others. About a score of Mer-cer's evocative T-head Raceabouts still exist, fondly cherished.

Specification Engine: straight-four; 111 x 12 7mm, 4916cc; side valves in T-head; single carburettor; 58bhp at 1700rpm. Gearbox: separate three-speed manual. Chassis: pressed steel side members with engine and gearbox in subframe; semi-elliptic springs and friction dampers front and rear; rear-wheel drum brakes and transmission brake. Dimensions: wheelbase 274cm/108in; track 145cm/57in.