1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Cabriolet B (more photos 👇)
Mercedes-Benz positioned its mid-range touring cars between affordable models and the flagship 500/540K series during the late 1930s.
The Cabriolet B featured distinctive styling with a raked V-shaped radiator, freestanding headlights mounted ahead of the fenders and engine compartment, and exposed fenders with side-mounted spare wheels.
The four-passenger convertible rode on a 130-inch wheelbase with longer overhangs than its 290 predecessor, providing considerably more interior space and luxury appointments.
The 320 debuted in February 1937 with a 3.2-liter inline-six producing about 78 horsepower, representing a substantial improvement over the 290’s 68 horsepower. In 1938, Mercedes-Benz enlarged the engine to 3.4 liters to better tolerate lower-octane fuels as war approached, though power output remained essentially unchanged.
The four-speed manual transmission featured full synchronization on later examples.
Production totaled roughly 5,800 Mercedes-Benz 320s between 1937 and 1942, including civilian and military variants, with Cabriolet B models representing a small portion of that figure.
Assembly took place primarily at the Mannheim plant, with some production later shifting to Sindelfingen. Many Mannheim-built examples were conscripted for military service or scrapped during World War II, and the loss of factory records has made documentation of surviving civilian cabriolets particularly difficult.
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