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Details
Photo Credit: James Mann
FROM THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM B. RUGER
The ex-Fred Hiscock
1913 MERCER TYPE 35 J RACEABOUT
Chassis No. 1281
Engine No. 35 J 1005
Cream with grey striping and black leather
Engine: four cylinder, T-head, 298ci, 56hp at 1,900rpm; Gearbox: four speeds forward plus reverse; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear with Hartford friction shock absorbers at the front and twin spring cylinder J M dampers on each rear spring hanger; Brakes: two wheel drum and a contracting shoe on the drive shaft. Right hand drive.
The legendary T-head Mercer Raceabout was one of the most significant cars produced during the glorious Brass Age. The enthusiasm shared by those fortunate few owners and admirers who have experienced the thrill of a Raceabout has elevated these pioneering sports cars to mythical status.
Following the instructions of the young Washington A. Roebling II, one of the Mercer Company's founders, chief engineer Finley Robertson Porter created the greatest sports car of the Edwardian Era. When one takes into consideration the pool of knowledge and technology available in 1910, Porter's design is remarkable. Although he did not incorporate the newest and most advanced ideas, he combined and utilized each element of his design to maximum effect so that the overall package was a near-perfect design for its time.
The 300 cubic inch four cylinder engine had massive 2.25 inch valves, high lift cams, high compression ratio and generous and efficient intake/exhaust manifolding. This was mated to a beautifully engineered Brown & Lipe gearbox, in three speed form for 1911 and 1912, and four speed for 1913 and 1914, with a multiple disc clutch. The drive unit was set down in a sub frame to lower the center of gravity on the already low slung chassis, which was clothed in long swooping fenders, raked cowl, steering column and twin rear spare tires. Is there a better example of form following function?
The T-head Mercer Raceabout was the first mass produced dual purpose sports and racing car - and indeed, many Mercers were taken right off the showroom floor to a race track where, with their fenders, running boards and lighting equipment quickly removed (this takes about 15 minutes), they would frequently set lap records, defeating cars with much larger engines. As Finley R. Porter recalled in an interview with Henry Austin Clark in the 1950s, "We sold racing cars to the public".
The best drivers always gravitate to the best cars and Mercer was no exception: Ralph DePalma, Spencer Wishart, Caleb Bragg, Eddie Pullen, Hughie Hughes and Barney Oldfield were a few of the stars of the era - not to mention the many private amateur sportsmen who were victorious behind the wheel of Mercers. As noted historian and collector George F. Wingard states in his authoritative book Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Mercer dominated the American racing scene for five years from 1911 through 1915. They made cars that beat the dual overhead cam Peugeots, considered by some to be among the best race cars of all time. In 1914 Mercer became the first American manufactured car to win the American Grand Prix. They won the AAA stock car championship of 1911. They took third place at the Indianapolis 500 in 1912 and second in 1913 running against cars with engines twice their size. They won at Elgin, Tacoma, Santa Monica, Trenton, Bakersfield, St. Louis, Washington D.C., Sioux City, Phoenix, Springfield, Mass., and Brighton Beach just to name a few. In every major race from 1911 to 1916 a Mercer was usually a major contender.
If the phenomenal race record of the Mercer was not enough proof of its worth, consider the list of respected collectors who have chosen to own a T-head Raceabout: Bill Harrah, Henry Austin Clark, Alec Ulmann, Sam Scher, Peter Helck, James Melton, Ralph Buckley, Ken Purdy, Herb Royston, Miles Collier, Robert Petersen, David Uihlein, Fred Hoch, George Wingard, Phil Hill, Roger Ellis, and Briggs Cunningham - many of them owning more than one example. Ken Purdy aptly explained in The Kings of the Road: Although driving a Mercer may have a high per-mile cost, nothing the writer ever sat in offered as much sheer enjoyment. The enormous attraction of the Mercer derives from its starkness. There are no useless gadgets. Everything on the car contributes to something. Visibility? You can see the ground under the right front wheel. You can gauge a corner literally to one inch, and the merest twitch of the steering wheel will pull you around the car ahead of you.
When you sit behind the wheel of a T-head Raceabout, you are immediately aware of its brilliant, purposeful design; despite its stark exposed features, you have a sense of security and stability. The left foot naturally extends straight out in front to the clutch and the right foot falls comfortably outside the 'bodywork', nestled into a stirrup and resting on the accelerator. The steering wheel rests in your lap and its response is both delightfully light and direct at speed. To shift, the driver moves his arm slightly to the right at the gearlever and a gear can be selected up or down with lightning speed. A Raceabout inspires confident driving. Once familiar, you can approach a corner at a normally alarming speed, partially retard the hand brake, down shift and release the brake - a quick and natural movement - while simultaneously drifting the car if you so choose. Such technique was not possible in most sports cars until the late 1920s and even then the steering and gearbox were not as inspiring.
Chassis number 1281 is one of the most original Mercer Raceabouts in existence. Importantly it is also one of the very few highly desirable 'four speed' cars. In Mercer circles and among other brass era car collectors, this car has always been considered one of the very best Raceabouts. At the time of going to press on the catalogue we were still trying to ascertain the very early history on this car as sadly factory records do not exist. It is believed however that this car was converted to electric lights very early on in its life, and noted Mercer authority Mr. Fred Hoch of Schaffer & Long Restorations in Magnolia, New Jersey states it is conceivable that it could have been done by the original dealer. This car was purchased by Oliver Frederick (Fred) Hiscock of Southampton, Long Island in about 1919/1920 from Lawrence Griffen of Northsea, Long Island. There were only possibly two prior owners at this stage and one of these former owners had flipped the car over in an accident, at which time the monacle windscreen was lost. However it is not believed that this Raceabout has any early racing history. In the mid 1920s, Fred Hiscock, who at the time was a mechanic for Tuckers Garage in Southampton, took his new wife on the Mercer for their honeymoon! As the saying goes, all you need on honeymoon is a toothbrush and a change of clothes and with the luggage capacity on a Raceabout they would have been lucky to have carried much else!
Always known as a great unmolested Raceabout, it is a vehicle, according to Fred Hoch, that the noted collector and restorer Ralph Buckley always wanted to buy. In the end he opted for another Raceabout since he was unable to purchase this one. On another famous occasion Austie Clark brought Bill Harrah by and he also tried to purchase this car by leaving a check for $3,500 which was ceremoniously torn up after he left as the family refused to sell the car. Fred Hiscock later rarely used the Mercer and for most of its life it was laid up on blocks in the barn, although he would bring it out on special occasions for various runs and parades. When the Bridgehampton road races started in 1949 and 1950 the Mercer did participate in the racing. In 1969 Fred Hiscock passed away and the car passed to his son John Hiscock. Sadly John and the Hiscock family lost the Mercer in 1981 when divorce proceedings forced the sale of the car. The fortunate purchaser however was William B. Ruger who leapt at the opportunity to acquire one of the all time great and original Mercer Raceabouts, which may have still had its original canary yellow paintwork.
Considering that the car had probably never been fully restored in the 60 year ownership of the Hiscock family, it was certainly showing its age and Mr. Ruger opted to restore the car and at the same time he chose to paint the car its current livery. During the restoration it was deemed that the fenders were beyond repair and therefore a new set was fabricated along with new running boards, and the wooden firewall was replaced with new wood. One item that has gone missing at some stage is the original brass stirrup foot rest. The hood still has 1281 stamped in it, as does the rear cross member of the chassis frame. The engine was entrusted to the world famous Rolls-Royce engineer Frank Cooke who fully rebuilt it about ten years ago. The work included fitting new aluminum pistons, a brand new set of valves (sourced from famed Stutz collector A.K. Miller ) and new babbets. The engine appears totally original with both its original cylinder heads and block. It comes equipped with a correct Flechter carburetor and a Bosch ZR4 magneto. The instruments all look correct and original and naturally it comes with its full set of electric Rushmore lights. Some five years ago Bill Ruger opted to fit the car with an original period Rushmore starter motor (although these were never original equipment for the Raceabout) for convenience of starting. The gearbox was also rebuilt eight years ago, with new gears that came from Jerry Helck. Since this restoration work was completed it has probably only traveled a mere 200 miles.
There are approximately 17 genuine T-head Raceabouts in existence - that is, Raceabouts which are considered to have left the factory in Raceabout form. Chassis number 1281 is one of the most original examples extant and is one of the coveted four speed cars and must rank among the handful of truly great Raceabouts with an almost completely known history from new. Collectors very rarely part with great Mercers and the only time this car has changed hands in the past 82 years has been owing to a family separation and now sadly the death of an owner. The Mercer is eligible for a growing number of events including the many Horseless Carriage Club and Veteran Motor Club tours, and is a welcome entry at many vintage race events and long distance Touring events such as the Colorado Grand. Christie's was privileged to handle another great Raceabout a few years ago, which set a new world record price, and once again we are honored to offer one of the finest examples of these legendary pioneering sports cars.
WITHOUT RESERVE
FROM THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM B. RUGER
The ex-Fred Hiscock
1913 MERCER TYPE 35 J RACEABOUT
Chassis No. 1281
Engine No. 35 J 1005
Cream with grey striping and black leather
Engine: four cylinder, T-head, 298ci, 56hp at 1,900rpm; Gearbox: four speeds forward plus reverse; Suspension: semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear with Hartford friction shock absorbers at the front and twin spring cylinder J M dampers on each rear spring hanger; Brakes: two wheel drum and a contracting shoe on the drive shaft. Right hand drive.
The legendary T-head Mercer Raceabout was one of the most significant cars produced during the glorious Brass Age. The enthusiasm shared by those fortunate few owners and admirers who have experienced the thrill of a Raceabout has elevated these pioneering sports cars to mythical status.
Following the instructions of the young Washington A. Roebling II, one of the Mercer Company's founders, chief engineer Finley Robertson Porter created the greatest sports car of the Edwardian Era. When one takes into consideration the pool of knowledge and technology available in 1910, Porter's design is remarkable. Although he did not incorporate the newest and most advanced ideas, he combined and utilized each element of his design to maximum effect so that the overall package was a near-perfect design for its time.
The 300 cubic inch four cylinder engine had massive 2.25 inch valves, high lift cams, high compression ratio and generous and efficient intake/exhaust manifolding. This was mated to a beautifully engineered Brown & Lipe gearbox, in three speed form for 1911 and 1912, and four speed for 1913 and 1914, with a multiple disc clutch. The drive unit was set down in a sub frame to lower the center of gravity on the already low slung chassis, which was clothed in long swooping fenders, raked cowl, steering column and twin rear spare tires. Is there a better example of form following function?
The T-head Mercer Raceabout was the first mass produced dual purpose sports and racing car - and indeed, many Mercers were taken right off the showroom floor to a race track where, with their fenders, running boards and lighting equipment quickly removed (this takes about 15 minutes), they would frequently set lap records, defeating cars with much larger engines. As Finley R. Porter recalled in an interview with Henry Austin Clark in the 1950s, "We sold racing cars to the public".
The best drivers always gravitate to the best cars and Mercer was no exception: Ralph DePalma, Spencer Wishart, Caleb Bragg, Eddie Pullen, Hughie Hughes and Barney Oldfield were a few of the stars of the era - not to mention the many private amateur sportsmen who were victorious behind the wheel of Mercers. As noted historian and collector George F. Wingard states in his authoritative book Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Mercer dominated the American racing scene for five years from 1911 through 1915. They made cars that beat the dual overhead cam Peugeots, considered by some to be among the best race cars of all time. In 1914 Mercer became the first American manufactured car to win the American Grand Prix. They won the AAA stock car championship of 1911. They took third place at the Indianapolis 500 in 1912 and second in 1913 running against cars with engines twice their size. They won at Elgin, Tacoma, Santa Monica, Trenton, Bakersfield, St. Louis, Washington D.C., Sioux City, Phoenix, Springfield, Mass., and Brighton Beach just to name a few. In every major race from 1911 to 1916 a Mercer was usually a major contender.
If the phenomenal race record of the Mercer was not enough proof of its worth, consider the list of respected collectors who have chosen to own a T-head Raceabout: Bill Harrah, Henry Austin Clark, Alec Ulmann, Sam Scher, Peter Helck, James Melton, Ralph Buckley, Ken Purdy, Herb Royston, Miles Collier, Robert Petersen, David Uihlein, Fred Hoch, George Wingard, Phil Hill, Roger Ellis, and Briggs Cunningham - many of them owning more than one example. Ken Purdy aptly explained in The Kings of the Road: Although driving a Mercer may have a high per-mile cost, nothing the writer ever sat in offered as much sheer enjoyment. The enormous attraction of the Mercer derives from its starkness. There are no useless gadgets. Everything on the car contributes to something. Visibility? You can see the ground under the right front wheel. You can gauge a corner literally to one inch, and the merest twitch of the steering wheel will pull you around the car ahead of you.
When you sit behind the wheel of a T-head Raceabout, you are immediately aware of its brilliant, purposeful design; despite its stark exposed features, you have a sense of security and stability. The left foot naturally extends straight out in front to the clutch and the right foot falls comfortably outside the 'bodywork', nestled into a stirrup and resting on the accelerator. The steering wheel rests in your lap and its response is both delightfully light and direct at speed. To shift, the driver moves his arm slightly to the right at the gearlever and a gear can be selected up or down with lightning speed. A Raceabout inspires confident driving. Once familiar, you can approach a corner at a normally alarming speed, partially retard the hand brake, down shift and release the brake - a quick and natural movement - while simultaneously drifting the car if you so choose. Such technique was not possible in most sports cars until the late 1920s and even then the steering and gearbox were not as inspiring.
Chassis number 1281 is one of the most original Mercer Raceabouts in existence. Importantly it is also one of the very few highly desirable 'four speed' cars. In Mercer circles and among other brass era car collectors, this car has always been considered one of the very best Raceabouts. At the time of going to press on the catalogue we were still trying to ascertain the very early history on this car as sadly factory records do not exist. It is believed however that this car was converted to electric lights very early on in its life, and noted Mercer authority Mr. Fred Hoch of Schaffer & Long Restorations in Magnolia, New Jersey states it is conceivable that it could have been done by the original dealer. This car was purchased by Oliver Frederick (Fred) Hiscock of Southampton, Long Island in about 1919/1920 from Lawrence Griffen of Northsea, Long Island. There were only possibly two prior owners at this stage and one of these former owners had flipped the car over in an accident, at which time the monacle windscreen was lost. However it is not believed that this Raceabout has any early racing history. In the mid 1920s, Fred Hiscock, who at the time was a mechanic for Tuckers Garage in Southampton, took his new wife on the Mercer for their honeymoon! As the saying goes, all you need on honeymoon is a toothbrush and a change of clothes and with the luggage capacity on a Raceabout they would have been lucky to have carried much else!
Always known as a great unmolested Raceabout, it is a vehicle, according to Fred Hoch, that the noted collector and restorer Ralph Buckley always wanted to buy. In the end he opted for another Raceabout since he was unable to purchase this one. On another famous occasion Austie Clark brought Bill Harrah by and he also tried to purchase this car by leaving a check for $3,500 which was ceremoniously torn up after he left as the family refused to sell the car. Fred Hiscock later rarely used the Mercer and for most of its life it was laid up on blocks in the barn, although he would bring it out on special occasions for various runs and parades. When the Bridgehampton road races started in 1949 and 1950 the Mercer did participate in the racing. In 1969 Fred Hiscock passed away and the car passed to his son John Hiscock. Sadly John and the Hiscock family lost the Mercer in 1981 when divorce proceedings forced the sale of the car. The fortunate purchaser however was William B. Ruger who leapt at the opportunity to acquire one of the all time great and original Mercer Raceabouts, which may have still had its original canary yellow paintwork.
Considering that the car had probably never been fully restored in the 60 year ownership of the Hiscock family, it was certainly showing its age and Mr. Ruger opted to restore the car and at the same time he chose to paint the car its current livery. During the restoration it was deemed that the fenders were beyond repair and therefore a new set was fabricated along with new running boards, and the wooden firewall was replaced with new wood. One item that has gone missing at some stage is the original brass stirrup foot rest. The hood still has 1281 stamped in it, as does the rear cross member of the chassis frame. The engine was entrusted to the world famous Rolls-Royce engineer Frank Cooke who fully rebuilt it about ten years ago. The work included fitting new aluminum pistons, a brand new set of valves (sourced from famed Stutz collector A.K. Miller ) and new babbets. The engine appears totally original with both its original cylinder heads and block. It comes equipped with a correct Flechter carburetor and a Bosch ZR4 magneto. The instruments all look correct and original and naturally it comes with its full set of electric Rushmore lights. Some five years ago Bill Ruger opted to fit the car with an original period Rushmore starter motor (although these were never original equipment for the Raceabout) for convenience of starting. The gearbox was also rebuilt eight years ago, with new gears that came from Jerry Helck. Since this restoration work was completed it has probably only traveled a mere 200 miles.
There are approximately 17 genuine T-head Raceabouts in existence - that is, Raceabouts which are considered to have left the factory in Raceabout form. Chassis number 1281 is one of the most original examples extant and is one of the coveted four speed cars and must rank among the handful of truly great Raceabouts with an almost completely known history from new. Collectors very rarely part with great Mercers and the only time this car has changed hands in the past 82 years has been owing to a family separation and now sadly the death of an owner. The Mercer is eligible for a growing number of events including the many Horseless Carriage Club and Veteran Motor Club tours, and is a welcome entry at many vintage race events and long distance Touring events such as the Colorado Grand. Christie's was privileged to handle another great Raceabout a few years ago, which set a new world record price, and once again we are honored to offer one of the finest examples of these legendary pioneering sports cars.
WITHOUT RESERVE
Special notice
This lot is offered without reserve.