The first Chrysler Town & Country was a wood-bodied, barrel-back sedan in the 1941 six-cylinder Royal line. In contrast to most wood-bodied utility vehicles, Chrysler’s Town & Country had lavishly-varnished wood inside and quality upholstery. Chrysler Corporation General Manager David Wallace believed that an upscale production-based automobile would attract wealthy buyers to Chrysler showrooms. He desired a sophisticated automobile, one elegant enough for city and chauffeur driving yet sufficiently utilitarian for country living. Wallace imagined a wood-bodied car with the same basic lines as contemporary Chrysler steel-bodied sedans, yet with greater refinement, quality and panache. The cars were constructed in the manner of prewar station wagons, using structural wood of white ash with contrasting panels of rich Honduran mahogany.

Built on the New Yorker’s 127.5-inch wheelbase, the Town & Country convertible was longer than the sedan. It also had all the New Yorker standard equipment: five-main-bearing 323.5-cid, 135-hp straight-eight engine, Prestomatic Fluid Drive four-speed semi-automatic transmission and an electric clock. Annual production totals were not recorded, but for the 1946 through 1948 model years, it is reported that 8,368 New Yorker Town & Country convertibles were built. The new-design second-series 1949 line dropped the Town & Country sedan, and for 1950 the model retreated to an eight-cylinder hardtop coupe with painted metal insert panels. Thereafter, the name “Town & Country” graced a long succession of Chrysler steel-bodied station wagons and minivans. The vehicle’s design and its finely-crafted build standards reminds one of the quality found in so many walks of life in the postwar era of the 1940s and the fine automobiles that excited the generation.

This 1947 Chrysler Town & Country Convertible, (Model C-39), is presented in blue with a blue and tan interior with a tan canvas soft-top. A distinctive elegance accompanies these uncommon models and Chrysler provided the car with luxuries such as a power-operated convertible top and a sophisticated interior. Among the other features are dual spotlights, wide whitewall tires and radio. It is thought that less than 500 of these beautiful coachbuilt post-war “woodies” remain in existence today.