The first Chrysler Town and Country was a wood-bodied, barrel-back sedan in the 1941 six-cylinder Royal line. Neither sedan nor station wagon, it had a fastback profile with twin hinged “barn doors” at the rear. Exactly 999 were built, 200 of them in six-passenger configuration and the rest with three bench seats to hold nine people. A similar lineup was continued into 1942, with nearly identical production despite the war-shortened model year.

The response was such that an expanded range of five body styles was planned for 1946. In the end, only a conventional trunk-back sedan and an eight-cylinder convertible coupe were built. Just 100 long-wheelbase eight-cylinder sedans were built, the rest being six-cylinder cars on the shorter Windsor wheelbase. The new-design second-series 1949 line dropped the T&C sedan, and for 1950 the model retreated to an eight-cylinder hardtop coupe with painted insert panels. Thereafter, the name “Town and Country” graced a long succession of Chrysler steel-bodied station wagons and minivans.

This handsome Town and Country sedan is one of the last hundred produced. A highly original car, it is painted in the factory color Catalina Tan and has the distinctive Highlander Plaid interior. The wood and chrome trim are original, the latter refinished when the car was repainted about 10 years ago. The interior was replaced at that time. Among its features is the chrome roof rack with wood skid rails, with which most T&C sedans were equipped. A radio, heater, sun visor, and dual spotlights comprise the other factory accessories, and a custom-fabricated wood canoe completes the motif with a country air. The owner, who has cherished it for 25 years, regards it as “a member of the family,” and reports that it runs and drives flawlessly.

Total Chrysler Town and Country sedan production for 1948 was limited with just 1,175 examples built. Most wood-bodied cars were lost long ago, and according to Town and Country authority Donald Narus, this car is one of only 41 known to survive. It represents a chance to acquire one of the most stylish and rare production automobiles of the post-World War II era, recently accepted as a Full Classic by the CCCA.