Thank goodness for imagination. I just spent a few minutes daydreaming that I was a well-to-do fella about town in 1949, plunking down about four grand on a new Town and Country at my local Chrysler store. Of course, this imaginary me would be better-dressed, better-mannered, and more debonair in general. I’d have a house in the country, naturally. It kind of makes you wonder who bought this original, 49,217-mile T&C when it was new, but regardless, it’s up for sale now here on Marketplace in Lafayette, Indiana, with an asking price of $49,500. Barn Finder par excellence T.J. sent it to us on the tip line.
Prewar Chryslers did seem like cars for old-money types, as they were very traditional in their styling and engineering; however, sometimes the old ways are the best ways. The Town and Country came standard with the “Spitfire High Compression Eight,” which was a 135-horsepower, 323.5-cubic-inch L-Head powerplant. (By the way, “high-compression” in 1949 was 7.25:1.)
The transmission was Chrysler’s “Prestomatic Fluid Drive,” which allowed shiftless driving by placing the selector in “high” range. Acceleration would have been leisurely, but it was one of Chrysler’s several examples of semi-automatic driving. There was a clutch pedal and four-forward gears, but in normal driving, the transmission would only use two of them; in high range, the transmission would shift into “high” when the driver let their foot off the accelerator momentarily.
The Town and Country is being presented as an original-paint car (with one refinished fender and refinished wood) that has been owned by the same person and stored in a climate-controlled garage since 1995. The interior has a few rips and tears, but the blue upholstery complements the Ocean Blue paint nicely, especially when set off by the wood accents. The wood itself was no longer a structural component in 1949 (explained here), so the car theoretically had fewer squeaks and rattles than previous T&Cs. This car seems to be missing its “Di-Noc” paneling on the doors, quarter panels, and trunk lid, but several I’ve seen for sale look the same as this one.
The interior, especially the front seat, is just about at the point where the new owner may consider making some repairs.
Values for 1949 Town and Country Convertibles are all over the place, with one example selling for $23,000 on Hagerty Marketplace in 2023 and another for a shocking $173,250 at Mecum Kissimmee last year. This one looks great but may need some interior work, so I’d say its price is not too far off the mark. With only 993 ever built and a fair number still popping up for sale, it’s a car whose popularity hasn’t waned as much as other 1940s cars, so perhaps you can imagine yourself walking into that Chrysler dealer back in 1949, dressed to the nines and ready to plunk down some cash for a new Chrysler Convertible.
Beautiful car. Beautiful color too. And also kind of unique without the mahogany Di-Noc as well. I’d be kind of torn ( no pun intended) on what to do with the front seat. If you do the front, then the back would look more tired, and then it could just go spiraling out of control from there. Or, just throw a blanket over the seat to protect it and enjoy it as a basically original survivor.
I have read that some late production Town & Country models had body color inserts in place of Di-Noc. I’m sure some people would prefer the appearance of woodgrain offered by Di-Noc as a throwback to the earlier years when “woodies” were to a certain extent actually wood-bodied.
Great article Mr. Aaron Toth! Never knew or heard about the Prestomatic Transmission! Thank you for the links to the “Prestomatic Fluid Drive”, and the new all-steel body! Really appreciate the links and great information! Mr. par excellence T.J. sure knows how to find the nice cars!