In the 1960s, the Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country was akin to the Ford LTD Country Squire, but without the woodgrain side paneling. They were huge station wagons and came in a 4-door hardtop configuration for much of the decade, adding to their elegance. This 1962 edition is one of just 793 built with a 9-passenger capacity but is listed here on Mecum inadvertently as a 1963 model. Whether restored or a beautiful original, this stunner will be offered with no reserve at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida on January 4-15, 2023. Thanks for the Mopar land yacht tip, Larry D!
The 1962 Chrysler Town & Country was a bit of a novelty in that it was a hybrid of the Plymouth 4-door station wagon with a New Yorker front clip (slanted headlights) attached, both from 1961. The reason for this was that Chrysler had abruptly canceled its 1962 redesign late in 1960. Rumor has it that General Motors was going to downsize its 1962 models and Chrysler didn’t want to be left with oversize cars to sell (the rumor turned out to be untrue). So, for 1962, they hastily did some patchwork on the 1961s. For the T&C, the Plymouth wagon was chosen because it was Chrysler’s only finless full-sized station wagon. The Plymouth’s existing taillights were replaced by wrap-around units.
Two versions of the T&C were offered at the time, in Newport and New Yorker packaging. Besides a higher level of trim, the New Yorker wagons rode on a wheelbase that was four inches wider at 126 vs. 122. The details for the sale of this ’62 T&C are mostly limited to the equipment of the wagon rather than any history of the machine. For example, we don’t know if this is a stunning original at 10,448 miles on the odometer or a neat restoration at 110,448 miles. Given that unibody construction was the order of the day at Chrysler, we’re going with the latter.
Under the hood of the lengthy beast is Chrysler’s 413 cubic-inch “Wedge” V8 that was rated at 340 hp. Naturally, it’s paired with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, operated with push buttons, of course. The dashboard had been designed with that in mind with the “AstraDome” instrument cluster covering the part of the steering column where a column shifter would have emerged. With that, the installation of the turn signal lever was relocated to the dash underneath the “TorqueFlite” pushbutton gear selectors and was installed as a sliding lever that would return to center as the steering wheel returned to the center position. There is a lever on this Chrysler, but it’s probably for the tilt steering.
We’re told this Chrysler has front and rear air conditioning. This was rarer in those days than A/C in general which was just starting to take hold as a staple in new automobiles. The body and paint look flawless on this car, and the bright red interior has a brand-new look to it, right down to the matching floor mats. This must be a restoration because the cargo portion of the wagon shows nary a scratch from hauling anything big or bulky.
Gorgeous
Yup
Interesting. Fun to get a look at something not commonly seen.
There cannot be many of these remaining.
i love it!
What is this ugly panel under the bumper at rear ? Not original for sure …
You can see the roof rear A/C with 2 round grilles in the same pic. I’ve the same unit in my ’73 Monaco SW
That panel is a big mud flap. I’ve seen them on other old cars.
That is a full length mud flap. One of the 1st accessories my dad had Monkey Wards automotive department put on his new 60 Plymouth Belvedere wagon. These were popular and a great period accessory for this car.
Does anyone else notice that it looks like parts of the car have been resprayed with a darker shade of yellow?
Wrong grille (?).
I can see that car with some modern rims/tires, window tint, a nice stereo, and take that mudflap off the back. And take it to the car shows.
No, the grille is apparently correct. I apologize for the confusion!
We had one. When we were done with it my grandparents got it. Upper Midwest salted roads finally did it in. That was probably in the mid seventies. The body was shot but it was still running like a top. My uncle saw someone pulling the engine at the local scrap yard
The Astrodome speedometer is amazing. It’s like looking into a glass globe, and the individual markings glow incandescent green. Luminescent paint is used, and a single bulb, out of sight, energizes them.
The dash on these early 60’s Chryslers had electro-luminescent panels, they worked from a 220 volt DC inverter under the dash, there were no bulbs in the dash lighting, just an eery green glow at night, even the gauge needles had a tiny wire attached to them to light them up in red. I had to repair mine a couple of times when the wiring broke in my ’62 Imperial, like trying to repair a spider’s web, the wires were so fine.
In the ’80’s I had this car in a brown color.
It had front and rear air.
I sold it to a guy that took it to Sweden.
I haven’t seen one since then. I love this car.
Beautiful, rare car. I like that there’s no pillar between the front and rear doors. Putting a small block Chevy in this would be ridiculous. Something this big would need a big block Chevy. Just kidding but I had to say it. Actually, I love the 413.
At first I thought I had found my old T & C wagon, but in looking closer it’s not the same car. My ’62 T & C was also loaded with options including dual A/C, but it didn’t have cruise control, because it also didn’t have pushbutton torqueflite! My car had the 300H driveline, with the dual 4 barrel carbs and the ultra-rare Pont-a-mousson 4-speed, and leather bucket seats.
The original owner had a big tow hitch welded to the frame on the back, and he planned on using it to tow a VERY large boat, as our area was only about 30 minutes from the Chesapeake Bay. I say he planned on using it, but never did because the boat was actually too long and heavy for car to legally tow.
But I sure used that wagon to flat tow other old cars for a number of years, and that T & C would easily tow larger cars [like my ’55 Crown Imperial limousine] at interstate speeds and higher [a lot higher!].
That T & C was one of a few cars that, on selling it, as I watched it drive down my long driveway, I instantly regretted selling it.