“They go well together—Orchids and the Chrysler Town and Country—perfect background for those to whom distinction comes naturally. There’s an air about this glorious convertible—a whisper of country clubs and moonlight rides. There’s poise in every dashing line—a car that’s at ease in any company.” As quoted from a 1946 Chrysler advertising promotion, that was the image behind this car—an image that shifted the focus of soldier and his time served to that of a citizen with time to sit back, relax, and enjoy.

As swiftly as the production of civilian cars was halted at the onset of World War II, it resumed with nearly twice the speed in 1946. The Big Three scrambled to meet the demand of excited new car buyers, and Chrysler, with an especially creative gusto, helped to make their cars immediately sought-after by those who wanted a taste of the “good life.” The Town and Country, with its beautifully handcrafted white ash and mahogany wood trim, exuded style and affluence and evoked the fine craftsmanship of a bygone era. Powered by the reliable Spitfire eight-cylinder engine, the Town and Country floated almost effortlessly along, carrying its passengers to and from the country club or lake house in high style.

Two models were offered, a convertible and a sedan, with the latter most often built on the six-cylinder chassis. As historian Donald J. Narus wrote in Chrysler’s Wonderful Woodie: The Town and Country, “The Sedan, while it did not share the glamour of the convertible, was perfectly at home on any of the swank estates of Long Island. If you had a country place in Connecticut and you were anybody at all, you surely had a Town and Country Sedan to go along with it. After all, what’s a gentleman farmer without his handsome carriage? Where the Convertible had pizzazz, the Sedan had elegance, a marvelous blend of wood and steel.”

The Sedan offered here was privately acquired by the late Jim Miller from a gentleman in Illinois several years ago. It shows just 39,636 miles, believed to be the actual mileage from new, which is a statement that is backed up by the car’s wonderful, original, unrestored condition. Surely ranking among the very best unrestored Town and Countries surviving today, the car’s Catalina Tan finish still shines as richly as the day that it left the factory, and the original woodwork is amazingly well-preserved. The interior shows gentle wear that can only be described as charming, with light creasing and cracking to the maroon leather and cloth seat inserts that still appear nearly new. Even the famous Town and Country Sedan roof rack is still intact, as are such options as the dual spotlights, sideview mirrors, a sun visor, and chrome disc wheel covers.

This is a Town and Country to be proud of, just as Mr. Miller undoubtedly was.