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Founded in 1909 in Mercer County, Trenton, New Jersey, as the Mercer Automobile Company. Mercer derived from the former Walter Automobile Company and the Roebling-Planche cars that were built in a closed brewery. The first Mercers rolled out the door in 1910. In 1911 Mercers were entered in six major motoring events and came home victorious in six of them! Competition success contiued through 1916 and a fierce rivalry with Stutz was fueling. Their light weight, eager Beaver L-head and T-head engines mated to fine transmissions helped Mercer set class world records, eight of which were set by legendary racer Ralph DePalma. In Columbus, Ohio, in 1912 Spencer Wishart drove his new Mercer off the showroom floor and into the lead of a 200 mile race. He promptly set four new world dirt track records. The average cost of a Mercer in those early days was $2,500. Quite pricy even with a sporting reputation. One of the men behind the Mercer success was Washington A. Roebling II. He died in 1912 in icy waters when the unsinkable Titanic went down. Furthermore, two more Roeblings would die within years of young Washington Roebling while helping guide the company. Financial straits set in and Mercer was bought by a group of investors called Mercer Motors Company. Mercer was then headed by the misguided Emlen S. Hare who had been a Packard vice-president. Hare started buying smaller auto makers (Simplex and Locomobile) to increase his power. Now called Hare's Motors, things started to spoil. Just two years after asssuming control of Mercer Automobiles, Hare's Motors collapsed in 1921. Mercer old gaurd employees tried to rejuvinate the marque but to no avail. Production included cars made from leftover parts. The factory doors closed for good, after another new owner would attempt to revive the name, on November 21, 1929.
