HUDSON, Mass.

CHARLES GOULD, a lawyer whose collection of more than 100 vintage cars, motorcycles and scooters fills two warehouses here, recounted a memorable brush with law enforcement.

“I have a speeding ticket for 78 miles per hour,” he began.

That opening line would not have held much promise, except that the subject of his story was a 1916 Mercer Six Passenger Touring, a big, elegant car with maroon doors and a black folding top.

Three other cars parked nearby — an Amphicar, a Citroën H and a Piaggio Ape (pronounced AH-peh), which is a three-wheel delivery van built on top of a scooter — would also seem unlikely vehicles for reaching the stated speed.

The Mercer, at least, was fast for its day.

Mercer was founded in 1909. Its president was Ferdinand Roebling, whose father, John, designed the Brooklyn Bridge. The company built cars until only 1925, but its Raceabout is considered one of the first sports cars.