1915 Mercer Series 22-70 Sporting
- Engine
- 298.2 cu in (approx. 4.9L) side-valve inline-four, single updraft carburetor, 70 bhp at 2,800 rpm
A rare surviving 1915 Mercer Series 22-70 Sporting, chassis 2236, powered by the Eric Deiling-designed 298ci side-valve four-cylinder engine. One of fewer than 5,000 Mercers ever built, this car passed through the Harrah Collection before receiving a six-figure restoration under Robert and Linda Sohl of California, after which it earned multiple concours class wins and a Grand National First Prize through the 1990s. The car has resided in the Edmonds Collection for over two decades, maintained by a Florida restoration specialist.
Ownership
- 2023-09-29Auction saleSold US$140,000
- → 1976Acquisition unknownJack Passeypartial documentation
Held the car briefly in the mid-1970s before selling to the next owners.
- 1976 → 1999Private saleRobert and Linda Sohlpartial documentation
Santa Cruz, California owners who commissioned a comprehensive restoration reportedly exceeding $100,000 in cost, then campaigned the car successfully at numerous concours events throughout the 1990s before selling at auction.
- 1999 →AuctionAndrew Edmondspartial documentation
Purchased at an auction in Tarrytown, New York in 1999; maintenance during this ownership was entrusted to Harbor Auto Restoration in Pompano Beach, Florida. Accompanying documentation includes invoices from this period.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownPlacido A. Ervesunpartial documentation
New York-based collector who owned the car in the early postwar period and participated in a long-distance touring event with it in 1952.
- Date unknownPrivate saleBill Harrahpartial documentation
Acquired from Ervesun during the early phase of his renowned collection; the car was one of several of this marque and model to pass through the Harrah holdings over the years.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownQuentin Craftpartial documentation
Noted Texas-based collector who took ownership after the car left the Harrah Collection prior to the mid-1970s.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownHarold Crosbypartial documentation
One of two successive owners in the mid-1970s following the Craft ownership.
Competition
- 1952Glidden Tour1952 Glidden Tour
Car participated in the touring event while in the ownership of Placido A. Ervesun.
- 19911991 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance3rd in Antique Class
First major concours showing following the Sohls' restoration; served as the starting point of a run of competitive successes.
- 19941994 Coalinga Concours d'EleganceBest in Show
One of two events in 1994 where the car earned top overall honours.
- 19941994 Lafayette Concours d'EleganceBest in Show
Shared the Best in Show distinction with the Coalinga event the same year.
- —Silverado Concours1st in Class
One of several regional concours events at which the car took class honours during the 1990s.
- —Palo Alto Concours1st in Class
Part of the Sohls' concours campaign in the 1990s.
- —Santa Rosa Concours1st in Class
Part of the Sohls' concours campaign in the 1990s.
- —Santa Barbara Concours1st in Class
Part of the Sohls' concours campaign in the 1990s.
- —Hillsborough Concours1st in Class
Part of the Sohls' concours campaign in the 1990s.
- —Antique Automobile Club of AmericaAACA National eventsNational Award, AACA Cup, and Grand National First Prize
The car competed across multiple AACA-sanctioned events, accumulating the organisation's top regional and national honours.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
Complete restoration undertaken by or on behalf of Robert and Linda Sohl after their 1976 acquisition, reportedly costing in excess of $100,000 at the time. The finished result was of concours-winning quality.
Cost figure cited in the catalogue relates to expenditure roughly 40 years prior to the catalogue date, suggesting work completed in the late 1970s to early 1980s timeframe.
- —ServiceHarbor Auto Restoration
Ongoing maintenance carried out over more than two decades to preserve the condition of the earlier restoration.
Workshop located in Pompano Beach, Florida; invoices for work during the Edmonds ownership accompany the car.
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