Mercedes 290 (W18) Roadster Amilcar 1933

Mercedes 290 (W18) Roadster Amilcar 1933 by Autocult

Swabian Heart in a sportive Dress   In 1933 the Swabian car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz replaced their model range of the Type 350/370 by the model 290. The chassis fitted with the engine in-house listed with the abbreviation ‘M 18’ was the base for large number of different body versions. The customer had the option between sedan, station wagon and convertible versions and even within each version there were several other options to choose, such as two doors or four doors. And even if the product range was huge, there were also customers which wanted to have an own, customized car body. For those the bare chassis fitted with the 2.8 liter six-cylinder engine with a performance of 60 hp was available.   A lot of body makers, both abroad and home, offered their service to built customized bodies for the standard chassis. One of them was the company ‘Amilcar’ in France. Since 1921 the company, which was led by Joseph Lamy and Emile Akar, built own automobiles and also accepted orders for customized car bodies. They were also tasked to design and built a sportive roadster body for a 1933 Mercedes-Benz Type 290. The – unfortunately unknown – customer probably stated the guideline to create a sportive Roadster that remained visually true to its Swabian origin. To fulfill this the French body makers left the front end with its huge radiator grille untouched. A flat windscreen and flat sloping, short rear end emphasized the sporty appearance. Visually appealing were also its slightly protruding rear fenders and the completely covered rear wheels.