Few people in the history of American motorsports have the resume and legacy of Bill Stroppe. A brilliant mechanic and engineer, a talented race driver, and a wonderful organizer and manager of race teams, he could do it all. In the 1940s, along with friend Clay Smith, a trip to Detroit with a racing boat launched his star and he never looked back.

In 1957, tasked by Mercury to develop a stock car racing program for NASCAR and USAC, Stroppe designed and built the engines, modified the chassis, hired the drivers, and went one step further.

He built a customized 1957 Mercury which was named the Mermaid to break speed records for stock cars on Daytona Beach during NASCAR Speed Weeks. This video is about the story of building that machine, Stroppe's rise to American racing fame, and the unlikely place that the Mermaid found itself racing in 1959 against some of the world's best cars and drivers.

A tale of American ingenuity, racing grit, and downright fun, this is one that gearheads of all ages can appreciate.