In late 1945, the end of World War II brought with it an unprecedented demand for new cars from returning G.I.s and the buying public in general. As America’s various automobile manufacturers struggled to simultaneously meet this huge demand and revert from wartime to civilian production, complete model changeovers were delayed by necessity for several years, with the new-for-1946 models largely based on the existing designs of the early 1940s, prior to America’s full-scale involvement in the war.

Chrysler’s Town & Country, however, remains one of the single most beloved and highly collectible automobiles of the immediate pre- and post-war era. Originally conceived in 1939 by Dave Wallace and released for sale in 1941, the Town & Country was available in barrelback Station Wagon form, featuring a beautifully crafted wooden body. Although the “woodie” was born of a practical need for relatively inexpensive estate wagons, its ash and mahogany-framed body was reminiscent of the classic wooden boats of the era, it was also considered quite fashionable, and due to its association with country life, the Town & Country quickly became a favorite vehicle of the wealthy.

For 1946, the glamorous Town & Country Convertible was introduced. Spurred on by an enticing advertisement campaign and a two-page spread in the widely read Saturday Evening Post, anxious public interest in the new Chryslers prevented the firm from making any clay models or prototypes. As a result, the car was reportedly built directly from sketches to meet looming time constraints. Cosmetically little changed in the first three years. The new Town & Country Convertible was based on the upscale New Yorker series and offered a wide variety of luxurious appointments.

Priced new from $3,400, Chrysler’s elegant Town & Country Convertible was the most expensive model available in the entire Chrysler model range, exceeding any other model in the New Yorker series and eclipsing the more moderately priced Royal, Windsor and Saratoga. All told, only 2,936 convertibles were built for 1948, with less than 200 examples remaining in existence.