Often considered the “little brother” to the legendary Mercedes-Benz 500 K and 540 K of the same era, the 290 was no small sibling, but a well-balanced, beautifully engineered automobile, incorporating a dependable six-cylinder engine, hydraulic brakes, and independent suspension at all four corners. It could be an exceptional beauty, as well, with bodies that were essentially scaled-down versions of the 500 K, most prominently the rakish and lithe Cabriolet A with its two-passenger interior.

The Cabriolet A offered here has a history known back to 1951, when it was sold by a young US serviceman, Gregory Darling, to his compatriot Harold Reuter, who after several years using it in Germany under the European Command, brought it to the United States. Photographs in the file show it to have been in largely complete, intact, and solid condition. Mr. Reuter began restoring the car in 1956; the work did not progress far, and the car wound up in storage in a warehouse in his hometown of Detroit, but numerous new-old-stock components were acquired for the effort—many while the owner and the car were still in Germany, corresponding with Mercedes-Benz and junkyards—and kept with it.

In 2010 the car was acquired by the present owner, who swiftly resumed the restoration, completing it to a modern standard, using those prized parts. Great care was taken to preserve as much of the Cabriolet A’s originality as possible, including using as many of the original wood sections and chrome pieces as could be preserved. Correct Roser-type leather was fitted, and both paint and chrome were finished to the highest standards. Afterward, the car became one of the few 290s to have been shown at the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, in 2013. Even more significantly, it was Third in Class in the Pre-War Mercedes-Benz class, always one of the most hotly contested—a major achievement for a 290. Indeed, this was the first 290 to be on the “podium” in Pebble Beach’s 63-year history! Not just a magnificent showpiece, the car was afterward driven on the Rally Maya in 2015, and in the inaugural Formula One Drivers' Parade, carrying Felipe Massa, when the sport returned to Mexico City the same year.

Likely one of the best-restored examples of its type, this 290 Cabriolet A is accompanied by a fascinating history file, including many pieces of correspondence from Reuter, as well as registrations and receipts from his lengthy ownership. It is a marvelous example worthy of the finest Mercedes-Benz enthusiast’s stable.