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‘Austie’ Clark 1911 Mercer Type 35R up for auction debut

18 June, 2014

 


Darin Schnabel © 2014 courtesy RM Auctions

Darin Schnabel © 2014 courtesy RM Auctions

It will be the auction debut of the ‘Austie’ Clark 1911 Mercer Type 35R Raceabout when it goes under the hammer at the RM Auction’s RM Monterey sale.

It has been owned for 65 years by the family of purchaser Henry Austin ‘Austie’ Clark Jr, who bought the vehicle in 1949. He was a pioneering researcher, noted collector, and proprietor of the Long Island Automotive Museum.

Austie Clark accumulated such a large and diverse range of vehicles that when it was packed and shipped off to The Henry Ford Museum it involved an entire month of packing, three moving trucks and over two decades to sort through and file the 54,000 pounds of material that had been collected.

The particular vehicle going up for sale is one of Clark’s earliest additions to his collection. It was a fixture at his Long Island Automotive Museum and it took part in exhibition runs in conjunction with the Bridgehampton races. Clark had a hand in organizing and funding these races.


Darin Schnabel © 2014 courtesy RM Auctions

Darin Schnabel © 2014 courtesy RM Auctions

The museum closed in 1980 and the Mercer has been driven mainly on windy stonewall-lined roads by two further generations of the Clark family. It’s now the right time to pass it on to a new generation of owners and this will be the first time it is presented for public auction. The Mercer is expected to bring in a huge level of interest with estimates of $2.5 million to $3.5 million (US dollars) expected to be achieved for this historic vehicle.

“Austie Clark was a connoisseur who knew great automobiles and made extraordinary efforts to preserve as many as possible and ensure they resided in good homes. As a result, even a quarter century after his death, knowing that a car was part of the Henry Austin Clark Jr. Collection is a stamp of approval, and the name is an integral part of its provenance,” says Shelby Myers, Car Specialist for RM Auctions.

The sale will be held on August 15–16 in Monterey, California — so if anyone’s planning a trip over there during that time it may be worth heading along to a preview day. Otherwise you can check out the lots from your living room at rmauctions.com

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.

2027 Star Insure Calendar Competition Terms and Conditions

2 July, 2026

2027 Star Insure Calendar Competition
We’ve partnered up with Star Insure in search for 13 outstanding classic cars to feature across the 2027 Star Insure Calendar and the December issue of NZ Classic Car Magazine. One standout entry wins the ultimate honour: cover placement on both the calendar and the magazine, with the remaining 12 featured across the monthly pages.
Email your photo to [email protected] and include your full name, postal address, phone number and vehicle details (year, make and model). Entries close Friday, 31 July 2026. *T’s & C’s apply.
Read more to find out the full details >>