As Donald J. Narus wrote in his Chrysler’s Wonderful Woodie: The Town and Country book, “The Sedan…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?”

The 1948 Chrysler Town and Country was a handsome carriage indeed, and it represented the end of an era for Chrysler Woodie production. True wood body construction with white ash framing and genuine mahogany veneer panels was replaced in 1949 by ash pieces applied over an all-steel body with Dinoc inserts or body-color painted panels. Built in Detroit on the Windsor chassis with a 251-cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine and a Fluid Drive three-speed manual transmission, the Town and Country sedan utilized an independent front suspension with live rear axle and leaf springs and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

According to the serial number, this example was the 28th Town and Country sedan manufactured in 1948 from a total production of 1,176. It is thus one of the earliest surviving examples of 41 known to exist today, according to Town and Country authority Donald J. Narus.

Sold new to a Philip S. Daniels of Reading, Pennsylvania, according to a copy of the original title from 1948, the Town and Country was later acquired by its second owner in Fort Worth, Texas. It was said that gentleman owned the car for many years before selling it locally to Wayne Davis, a well-known Dallas/Fort Worth collector. Mr. Davis maintained and kept the car for some time before it joined a significant private collection in Colorado in 2008, where it resides to this day with just its fourth owner from new.

Featuring a correct older restoration utilizing most all of the original wood, this example presents beautifully in its desirable correct Pacific Green metallic over a tartan and leather-trimmed Highlander interior. This Town and Country is well equipped, featuring a roof-mounted luggage rack with wood skid rails, driver’s side spotlight, fog lamps, sun visors, Comfort Master heater, factory radio and clock, center bumper guard, and whitewall tires.

Perhaps no manufacturer so masterfully combined wood with steel design as Chrysler did with the Town and Country series, the significance of which was recognized by the Classic Car Club of America when approving all 1941–1948 Town and Country models for Full Classic status. Perfect for touring on the next CCCA CARavan or enjoying a night on the town, this eye-catching Woodie skillfully blends functionality with remarkable style.