Like the T210, the second generation Group 6  was built around an aluminium monocoque chassis with independent suspension and outboard disc brakes on all four corners. The front suspension was by double wishbones while the rear used a reversed lower wishbones, top links and twin trailing arms. The car was clothed in a straightforward fibreglass body, which compared to rivals Chevron and Abarth was relatively curvaceous. Downforce was provided at the rear by a small wing that was mounted at the trailing edge and almost flush with the engine cover.

The T290 was offered without an engine, leaving customers to pick their power-plant of choice. Cosworth was the preferred engine supplier and for the 1972 they offered two options; the venerable FVC or the newly developed Chevrolet Vega based 'four'. The former was tried and tested but displaced only 1,790 cc while the latter was not quite as reliable. Some teams did develop larger versions of the FVC while Cosworth themselves were hard at work to create the two-litre BDG. Regardless of the engine choice, a Hewland five-speed gearbox was used. The successes of the T212 during the 1971 season had certainly increased the demand for these cars and no fewer than 34 T290s were built in 1972.

Many were sold through European representative Jo Bonnier, who also fielded some of them with works support. The Vega engined cars were quick straight out of the box but the engine's poor reliability proved a real handicap. As a result, the Abarth-Osella team and driver Arturo Merzario won the European Championship. The T290s were nevertheless very successful, winning races and championships all around the world. For 1973, the car evolved in the T292, which had a more substantial rear wing and inboard mounted rear brakes. Taking advantage of the BDG engine, it did manage to clinch the Championship again. T290-based machines were built until the end of the decade and eventually around 100 examples were built of the various evolutions. Many of the T290s were raced for many seasons, often using updated bodies. As a result a T290 in its original guise is today a rare sight.