1913 Mercer Raceabout - Jay Leno's Garage

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A new video every Sunday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more. Subscribe for more: full.sc/JD4OF8
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1913 Mercer Raceabout - Jay Leno's Garage
• 1913 Mercer Raceabout ...
Jay Leno's Garage
/ jaylenosgarage

[@servicarrider]

We are all so fortunate that Jay devotes so much of his time to sharing not only his collection, but his vast knowledge with us. Thank you so much, Jay. We all appreciate it and are grateful for it.

[@wes4192]

In a hundred years people will talk about him and his impact on the automotive world

[@servicarrider]

And Mavis, as well. Mavis is married to one of the finest car collections in America, has the pick of the litter, her economic bracket is well beyond the proverbial top one percent...and she drives a Fiat 500? That's my kind of girl. We love these pandemic shows, Jay.

[@donniefronterhouse7793]

Jay usually speaks of himself as the custodian of these cars. He, like all of us, is moving through history. These cars are history and Jay appreciates that fact and so he shares them humbly. A fine example to all collectors.

[@richardcarruthers7932]

I have only recently started watching these videos, and am really impressed. He's not just a rich guy with an expensive hobby. Jay Leno is a serious car nerd with a wealth of historical knowledge.

[@furiousgtz]

What makes Jay Leno is that the level of detailed records and history that goes with each car. Truly amazing.

[@mesofius]

true, I barely care about cars, but I do like history and I'm hooked on this channel

[@erikjohnson2889]

To me THIS is what makes Jay a real car guy. He preserves history AND understands how the mechanics operate. So cool.

[@DJMotoVlogs]

To people the people thats complaining about the low production quality, this is an old video from his website.

[@IchibanMoto]

and love that windscreen !

[@djquinn11]

But no windshield wiper...

[@aaardvarkkk]

Saw you at Pebble yesterday, Jay. Question of the day was "Do men even BUY raffle tickets?". No, they buy cars and give their wives money to buy what they want. On Sunday she wanted a raffle ticket... and won a car! A Mercer Raceabout in the form of a cardboard craft kit was my introduction to classic cars as a kid in the 1960's. I still have it. Thank you Grandma! Still have Grandma's real car from back then too.

[@gristlevonraben]

I feel like I just watched something amazing. I have a new respect for those older cars now. wow.

[@tomthumb288]

Same Roebling family that designed and built suspension bridges (ex. Brooklyn Bridge) and manufactured wire rope. I enjoyed watching this video Jay despite the annoying phony camera shutter clicking. It really detracts from your excellent presentation. You are a true automobile historian and a car guy's car guy! I enjoy all of your videos but especially the ones that highlight the history behind the cars. Have you ever thought to expand the length of your videos to have more in-depth discussions of the automotive history behind the car you're highlighting? Hope you pull the Mercer out again to do an updated video.

[@thooke222]

a foot activated exhaust cutout on a 100+ year old car!? amazing

[@moparhemi1777]

That's what they call "sport mode" today ;D

[@fishhuntadventure]

Why is that amazing?

[@thooke222]

@@fishhuntadventure it caused me to have great surprise and wonder.

[@paulnicholson1906]

My roommate in college and I were driving in convoy on route 70 once him in his 63 and me in my 65. His car had a crappy muffler and the cops pulled me over he kept going. Anyway when I stopped I turn my engine off and the cop asked me to turn it on assuming I was the one making the noise. Anyway it was quiet 🤫 and said have a nice day. Anyway my friend had waited for me up the road and we had a good laugh about that. With one of these you could do the same trick on purpose.....

[@maryrafuse3851]

Jay is truly in the tradition of the great story teller. What a great and warm communicator. He deserves all his cars.

[@thxcuz]

I was never a fan of Jay before I saw theses videos. This is what he was born to do. I'm not a car guy but I appreciate him explaining things without going over my head or insulting my intelligence. He seems very relaxed and comfortable talking about something he cares about. much like a neighbor who wants to share his collection with you. Bravo, Sir! and thank you for sharing your knoledge with us all

[@the1realanalogman]

Welcome to Jay Leno's Smithsonian Garage! I'm flabbergasted by this amazing machine and appreciative of Jay's fine presentation of it! I've learned so much about automotive history from these videos and thoroughly enjoyed every episode! I am constantly surprised by the magnitude and importance of Jay's collection and his knowledge of it and I sure am grateful for the sharing! Always a great way to end my day!

[@johnnymason2460]

I can see Jay Leno's Garage eventually becoming similar to the Smithsonian Museum. It might be the only reason I would even consider going to California.

[@radsk8rbigollies594]

This is what I like about Jay, his vast knowledge and passion really shines through when he is sharing these type of cars with us.

[@mcgaugh57]

The smell of that when it's hot and running must be awesome.

[@themotochannel]

mcgaugh57 That's what she said. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[@BubbaSmurft]

The Moto Channel You REALLY should have.

[@aaardvarkkk]

mcgaugh57 It smells like your picture.

[@mcgaugh57]

aaardvarkkk I doubt that, but your sister sure did :)

[@dmcnamara9859]

mcgaugh57 DOHC Peugeot Racer (yes DOHC); put every car to shame during this time-line..Mercer never had a chance against the Peugeot Racer.Even Mr. Leno (himself) acknowledges Peugeot has always has either introduced/invented major advances in automotive engineering to the Micro/Macro Level.

[@intsccents]

You got to love that Jay drives all of his vehicles. they are not just museum pieces meant to sit around and be looked at.. he gets all of these classics on the roads of SOCAL and we always feel great when we see Jay drive through our neighborhoods in these beautiful machines... L.A Rob

[@7inrain]

A lot of Jays videos are great but this one has to be considered one of the best. When I was a child my father bought me a book from Richard von Frankenberg about sports cars. Richard von Frankenberg himself was a race car driver from Germany with a love for all sorts of sports cars and in this book he listed those that he considered important in the automobile history from 1900 - 1970 (he was killed in 1973 in an Autobahn accident). One was the Mercer Raceabout and through that video of Jay I now know how it was to start up and drive those cars and how they sounded. Thank you so much.

[@powderriver2424]

You just have to love old cars and machinery to appreciate the engineering that went into building a car truck or tractor in 1913. It's even more amazing that these vehicles when either restored or unrestored run and drive the way they did all those years ago that's why I like Jay and his videos.

[@hotroddaddy-et4xg]

my great grandfather owned one of the first ford dealerships in canada my grandfather was assembling them right off the train at about 12 i come from a long line of gearheads.i remember sitting on my grandfathers lap with a big book about all these teens cars.teaching me all the different advances in cars,where they were built how they were built,features,prices etc.. this and the stutz bearcat or boat tail speedster were my grandfathers favorite. this car is art and engineering the exact way my granfather looked at cars ,5 generations and those words still ring true today with my nephews..

[@ElusiveMasquerade]

Simply starting the Mercer seems like quite an occasion. Thanks for showing Jay! I love all your videos.

[@HoosierHacker]

Glad we have Jay for our generation to learn about these cars and their stories I otherwise would not have known about.

[@jakeb92980]

What I enjoy most about JLG is that you can tell Jay is knowledgeable about his cars. I doubt many other celebrity car collectors have the mechanical smarts he does. Good stuff.

[@robertblakeney1353]

Of all the Garage videos, this one had me grinning the most. The car is amazing and Jay's enthusiasm for this beauty is contagious. This is pure motoring. Our cars today isolate us, pamper us, and protect us. The only ride more engaging than this is a motorcycle. Or a horse.

[@michaelconner204]

That is one cool car. My grandpa used to tell me about that car and I'm so glad to see one in all its glory. Thank you Jay!

[@ordinaryaverageguy5440]

Jay is a steward of these amazing machines . Many times he will do a project to save a piece of history . That's what is so great about his shop. Makes history tangible . The steam, Turbine , hit and miss water pump . Incredible .Not to mention all those drivers that were willing to race on those insanely bad tires with basically zero brakes !

[@threecatsteve]

Just want to thank you not only for preserving the vehicles but also for showing them to us. God Bless

[@DJDevon3]

Jay Leno can drive any car and make it look cool. By today's standards it looks like a steampunk hipsters wet dream. Thank you for the history lesson too. Amazing episode.

[@rrmech11]

You're right. Awesome

[@1pcfred]

+DJDevon3 Steampunk has another corner in Jay's garage.

[@mesofius]

this looks like something characters out of Jules Verne's novel would drive

[@sunsetrider45]

Usually bad audio in KZbin videos is annoying. In this case it resembles the awesomeness of that car! Thanks Jay.

[@timsindt5245]

Jay Leno is my hero. All his money and it goes into cars, not drugs, women or yachts!

[@heavenlyblue]

Thank You so much Jay for sharing your cars! I have watched every one of your videos on KZbin, and enjoyed them very much, and once again appreciate your sharing. I have learned about the history of automobiles over the decades from watching your videos, and am in fascination now as you are. Since I would never be able to afford what you have as far as a collection, somehow you make me feel like I own a small part of your collection (but without all the costs). So once again, thanks so much for the nostalgia, the sharing, and the knowledge I have gained from watching videos on your channel. And your production crew does a great job also.

[@Ismunoz]

Jay your weekly vids are the highlight of my week. Not sure if thats a good or bad thing but yeah.

[@JD-kg3mx]

I live precariously through Jay Leno's auto recreations, rebuilds, restorations and collections.

[@dude24471]

Pure amazing. Such an incredible automobile and no other person in the world deserves to relive that than Jay Leno.

[@persebra]

This car is over a 100 years old and still drivable at street legal speeds! amazing! I loved that monocle windshield to bits and pieces..never seen that before.

[@riverwildcat1]

Thanks a bunch, Jay, for this most entertaining show. I built a model of the Mercer as a kid and always savored their appearances in movies. They will always be the quintessential original sports car in my mind for all the reasons you mentioned; combining speed, handling, engineering brilliance, and elegance in one perfect package.

[@d00msay3r3]

Never heard of the Mercer before. VERY cool American car! Agree 100% this should be thought of the first true American sports car. Not the Corvette.

[@mesofius]

I always thought that the Mercer was the first American sports car

[@joshuaheaton9153]

Stutz had one of the first sports cars too

[@zackvanderlinden7185]

Absolutely no dis-respect, Jay is the best! The gear company is Brown - Lipe (L-eye-P). They built great boxes, most secondary transmission in commercial trucks were made by this company. That's why old truckers call the second trans a "Brownie".

[@GTfour01]

Fantastic, yet again. The car really appears to run very smooth for it's age. Our fellow countryman Mr. Louwman also has one example in his vast collection. Great vid again Mr. Leno and crew.

[@allensmall1800]

Awesome video Jay... Brings back good memories. My grandpa, the late great Eddie Pullen went faster than 100 miles an hour in that car, back in 1913

[@jdmcommute]

Man would I love to do an apprenticeship at Jays garage! There is so much to learn about old car technology. This is what I like about this channel and his garage. Its a history capsule of knowledge.

[@Jelsick]

I wonder how many kids saw these back in the day racing and thought they were so amazing, and now they are all gone, yet the car still drives around a hundred years later. Food for thought.

[@terapode]

Jay, your must redo this video in HD because we can´t get much of the deails from the car. And this is such a nice and rare car that deserves be in a HD video.

[@PSquared-oo7vq]

In case you're wondering, a quick Wikipedia search confirms the Roebling that Jay mentions as the owner of Mercer autos, Ferdinand, was indeed the son of John Roebling, the designer of the Brooklyn bridge.

[@lukespack]

A wonderful car. It was so balanced for that time. Thanks again Jay. I am learning so much about the automobiles of America's past.

[@MrGridStrom]

Honestly im not really a fan of the older style cars, but that could change as this had me smiling from ear to ear. What an amazing car.

[@FluffyBuzzard2TheMax]

Weird. I love older style cars but dislike the newer. To each his own I guess.

[@youtoob3000]

Love to see these shows about the old cars. It is great to see how things were done before all of the electronic crap on cars today back when you had to know how to operate a machine not just push the gas and steer.

[@wholeNwon]

One of the guys in my high school class would occasionally drive to school in a Mercer Runabout. Great fun!

[@DaBear61]

Love the history of this vehicle from the City I was born in! What a beautiful piece of engineering from the family that gave us the Brooklyn Bridge!

[@elukok]

Wow, even the video itself has ancient resolution. Good job working on those details.

[@s0nnyburnett]

Beautiful machine, lovely brass and copper work.

[@tsnorquist]

That start up process is crazy. Thank god for modern motoring.

[@gregraines1599]

tsnorquist Not as bad as his steam cars, though. Geeze we've got it easy.

[@ostlandr]

I wish Granddad was still around to watch these with me. His dream car was the Stutz Bearcat, but he'd have been glad to own one of these beauties.

[@jr-ee9jk]

It's Halloween 2022. The stories & this car are 110yrs old. That is amazing. Things haven't changed much. Great stories Jay...

[@gdwfs]

Another great video. This is the best channel on KZbin by miles.

[@logansilver4200]

Because of this video, Jay has saved hundreds if not thousands of thumbs.

[@yourekittenme.]

I was always a big fan of the Stultz Bearcat (1914) but this Mercer Raceabout… whew! What a car!!!

[@94jrose]

Loving seeing these old videos from the original channel on here Jay! I missed them. Keep it up

[@urreg99]

Jay. You are my hero. Please make an episode on the misunderstood, forgotten and the persistlent underdog (VW) Porsche 914 (-4 or /6).

[@stephenlister6419]

That was so cool, thank you so much for sharing.

[@stephencarrigg4371]

Jay probably scares the crap out of people when he rolls up in that beast! AWESOME to see a 100 year old car work in perfect running order, thanks Jay.

[@treatb09]

simply beautiful, the design, hand made components. just a fabulous piece of rich engineering.

[@scottnyc6572]

Geez I’m learning more and more just how many famous people that were killed on the Titanic.I never knew the Roebling brothers were lost as well.Mercer County New Jersey was home of the Mercer,another reason why NJ license plates are yellow and black.

[@Hillclimbfan1990]

These videos show how much the production quality of the new ones have improved. The new videos generally have better camerawork and editing. Nice to see such improvements. These old videos are great too though so keep them coming. I'm here for the cars and not the camerawork afterall :P

[@MrUltraworld]

One of these sold this year for $2.5m. Jay's has to be worth $3m. What an interesting collection.

[@bigredc222]

I wonder if a car has, or will have more value just because Jay owned it, other than the fact that they'll know it was impeccably maintained?

[@mesofius]

It's going to be $3.3m, a 110 year old sports car that's as good as new

[@ericheydenreich2846]

Thanks again for sharing! It must be great being able to tinker on and drive all those historic vehicles.

[@calevel]

Simplicity and functionality . I love the mechanics on this car.

[@christopherejankins]

Thank you for doing this show Jay. Your passion for cars is fantastic to watch.

[@ChrisMildwater]

I really enjoyed learning about the Mercer race about. Thanks Jay ! Love your enthusiasm and amazing knowledge. Keep these great videos coming, please!!

[@jamesburke4302]

You made my day Champ I have had a crush on this type of car for over 50 + yrs. You can make a old school mechanic smile . Somehow you make what I do more worth while . Thanks . Have a good day sir. Live long & prosper! James T. Burke

[@dbscpa]

I loved the video..... the detail and history surrounding the car is intriguing and very interesting. The Mercer was very short lived, and gets little notoriety, I appreciated your passion. I have made it a hobby to find as much information possible about the car, the racing, and the people who drove them.

[@rightrightman3179]

Thanks for another great video Jay; history comes alive when you speak! I never get tired of your channel!

[@acousticbruiser19]

Now lets see a 2015 car of any make run that well in 100 years. I can see it now... "And this is what was called 'bluetooth' technology back in the day. We would provide a demonstration, but our tech experts haven't been able to decipher the means to make it function properly for more than a few seconds..."

[@johnnyjames7139]

I am having that technology problem now with my '86 FJ1200 Yamaha. The electronic spark module failed and is NLA as a new part.

[@MrFaderdes]

Fantastic car, the mercer has been my dream car since I was a young boy. So nice to see one being driven. What a great sounding Motor. Thanks for this Jay

[@MrM2hb]

Great piece of history--thanks Jay.

[@Kevinplaystsb132]

I cannot stop smiling. This car is amazing.

[@GojeeTV]

So glad you make these videos on KZbin! You could have easily made a larger profit making this a T.V program. Appreciate you staying true to your passion and providing this to us for free entertainment! Thank you Jay!

[@nitramvoksmad2404]

Thanks, Jay! Very impressive, had no idea a car could achieve 100 mph at that point in automotive development. This car seems more well thought out than the '18 Bearcat. A better intellect behind it so it seems.

[@wholeNwon]

225 in 1909.

[@swsephy]

Hmm I don't remember when this video was originally posted. Awesome to see thanks for reuploading! That exhaust sounds amazing.

[@CallmeDaBreeze1971]

Wow! That is the coolest early car ever. Sleek for it's day. The Mercer wins on beauty alone, and it performs.

[@listerbag]

I met a guy on Long Island ny who owned one of these he had it at the time for 75 years having purchased it as a teenager

[@richarddarlington1139]

This is a very special piece of automotive history. Let's polish up that brass, Jay!

[@oldfarmshow]

Thank you

[@TakashiAmanoOriginal]

6:15. Eh just let the buckle hit the paint who cares, LOVE IT JAY!!! Treat it like a car

[@petecox8649]

Dear Jay, Several years ago I spent a day with the late Hyde Ballard at his garage in Barto, Pennsylvania. While primarily a collector of Stanleys and Packards, he did have a Mercer "Raceabout." He did all his own restoration work and he kept a dossier on each of his cars. He had documented the Mercer to have been driven by Raffaele "Ralph" DePalma, for the Mercer factory team, in the Fairmount Park races (I had always believed them to have been held in Philadelphia, but research shows there were a number of similarly named venues.) Also, the grandmother of a friend claimed to have raced, and beaten, DePalma on her Harley Davidson motorcycle at a course on Long Island during the WW I years, but that's another story.

[@kraenk12]

Adjustable suspension and exhaust...I'm impressed

[@stranraerwal]

what a car-and what a deep, growling sound...simply great !

[@donnellis8865]

What a very nice old car, get a kick watching you start and drive the cars. Keep the videos coming.

[@josephcivita1450]

That engine sounds great! Awesome car!

[@wholeNwon]

A classmate used to occasionally drive one to high school. Quite a sight.

[@brentgraber591]

My great grandfather had a Mercer we still have the owners manual with the factory parts catalog.

[@CFProton]

Driving the Mercer was definitely an adventure!

[@kenm8376]

Always enjoy taking a drive with you, Jay.

[@taylorhale3831]

And just when I thought I'd finally get some sleep..

[@jaybelle532]

SAME HERE! worth it though. I live on the east coast so it's slightly later in Pacific time

[@nashvilleslim]

I don't think I would ever want to buy or drive that monstrosity. Give Jay credit for his passion.

[@aleramone23]

Lol Jay, you need a master's degree to fire up that thing.

[@dbscpa]

I love this car, although I am bias, my grandfather was Eddy Pullen. Could you please post the video you taped about ten plus years ago when you interviewed my Dad, Don Pullen. I have no other way to watch the special memory with my Dad. Thank you.

[@zunedog31]

One of the best car videos of the year

[@DannyWalker1949]

Thanks Jay, I sure learned a lot about this car tonight. I've seen them before BUT, I didn't know anything about them. I sure see why you like them now. Quite a car for its day. And, very pleasing to the eye's too.........=)

[@StrangerYann]

I never been so big on the proper old cars like those but I must say I found this one impressive. Thanks for sharing old boy :)

[@marsgal42]

The comment about the brakes reminds me of Ettore Bugatti said on the subject: "I build cars to go, not to stop!"