This 1930 Mercedes-Benz Stuttgart 260 10/50 HP is said to have been delivered in May 1930 to Karosseriewerk Reutter in Stuttgart, Germany, where it was fitted with roadster coachwork. The car was purchased by a US Air Force medic stationed in Germany in the 1950s and was imported to the US upon the serviceman’s return to North Carolina, where it has since remained in the same family.

Power is provided by a 2.6L L-head inline-six that breathes through a single Solex carburetor and is mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Mercedes-Benz unveiled its 8/38 HP two-liter model in 1926 as an entry in the mid-size segment, and in late 1928 updated the platform’s nomenclature to include the “Stuttgart” name. In 1929, the Stuttgart 200 was joined by the larger-displacement 10/50 HP 260, which shared the earlier model’s range of open and closed body styles.

The wood-rimmed steering wheel sits ahead of VDO instrumentation, including a 120-km/h speedometer, a clock, and gauges monitoring oil pressure and fuel level. The 2,581cc inline-six incorporates a seven-bearing crankshaft, a detachable cylinder head, side valves, a single Solex side-draft carburetor, coil and distributor ignition, and a generator.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a floor-shifted, non-synchromesh three-speed manual transmission.

The Ron Sturgeon Collection