Advertising Last completed movie pages 1920 Mercer Series 5 RaceaboutClass: Cars, Convertible — Model origin: 
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Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene
Comments about this vehicle| Author | Message |
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◊ 2009-01-17 02:39 |
![[Image: 73c.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/0pb/73c.jpg) ![[Image: 73b.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/0pb/73b.jpg) |
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◊ 2009-01-17 03:04 |
Mercer. I am yet to determine if it is 1921-2 series 5 (four cylinder) or 1923-4 series 6 (six cylinder). |
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◊ 2009-01-17 22:52 |
According to my books there wan't a Series 6 in Raceabout body style. So that makes this a Series 5 (1920-1922). |
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◊ 2009-01-18 19:56 |
I have an aquaintance here in NZ (by the name of Mercer) who has a Series 6 Mercer and is in touch with other Mercer owners. He told me that Buster Keaton owned two 1920 Series 5 Mercer raceabouts and both car still exist. They appeared at the Mercer reunion in 1996. These will be those two cars. |
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◊ 2009-01-18 21:22 |
I searched Google Books and several references came up: "One of America's most famous cars was the Mercer Raceabout, built in Trenton, NJ. This 1921 Series 5, four-cylinder bomb was owned by famous movie comedian Buster Keaton." (Hot Rod Magazine, 1953) "This 1920 Mercer Raceabout (opposite page), built for Buster Keaton, is now owned by John and Nelson Thorpe." (Automobile Quarterly, 1964) "He was happiest when he arrived at the studio in his $3000 Mercer raceabout." (Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase - Page 145) "Buster gets into his 1922 Mercer Raceabout and grabs the wheel; the background dissolves from one location to the other." (Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat - Page 163) That last quote is about this movie. He has to find a bride and marry before the day is over or he'll lose his inheritance; so a girl driving the same car is an obvious candidate.  Do you have any recent photos of them? |
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◊ 2009-01-21 09:31 |
No further updates yet but found some interesting pictures. Check out the 1912 race car airborne. Link to "forums.aaca.org" -- Last edit: 2009-01-21 09:34:54 |
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◊ 2013-12-19 12:02 |
I can confirm definitively that the car is a 1920 series 5 mercer raceabout and that the car still exists in good working condition. |
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