Almost a Survivor! 1948 Chrysler Town & Country Convertible

There are Town & Countrys, and then there are Town & Countrys. The model name ran for seven decades – with a small hiatus during WWII, of course, and a single year retirement in 1989 – but its style gyrated from the famous, desirable, and rare “barrelback” hauler to the modern minivan. Mostly, the Town & Country was a family car, with copious space for people and luggage. This splendid example, available on craigslist for $35,000 and located in Tacoma, Washington, has logged only 53,000 miles since it was new. The seller has owned the car since 2002, and it runs well. Curvette, thanks for another spectacular tip!

The Town & Country was introduced for model year 1941 as an eight-passenger luxury station wagon, substantially adorned with wood. One of the true “woodies,” these early models fetch stunning prices. Chrysler’s next T&C iteration brought more body styles to the table – barely. Despite the promise of two sedans, a roadster, a coupe, and a convertible, only a four-door sedan and a two-door convertible were ever made in production quantities through 1949. These were heavy cars, powered by inline six- and eight-cylinder engines with horsepower ratings in the 115-135 range. This example’s underhood powerplant is the 323.5 cubic-inch “Spitfire” inline-eight, paired with a semi-automatic fluid drive gearbox, cleverly named the Presto-Matic. The seller notes that his car has a subtle vibration while underway, and the tires should be replaced due to age.

These were luxury cars, no doubt about it, with leather upholstery, a full complement of gauges, and color-matched accessories. Spotlights, dual heaters, grille-mounted fog lamps, a working convertible top with a glass rear window, refreshed chrome – all add to the appeal of this special car.

By 1948, manufacturers were replacing real wood with a new miracle material: Di Noc. Producing vintage Di Noc is as much a photographic process as it is a chemical process. The mahoghany-look panels between the ash framing here are vinyl Di Noc; the vinyl film also showed up on instrument panels and interior trim. By the 1950s, vinyl had nearly completely supplanted wood in every corner of the typical car. Other than a few special models, including from other makers, values of Big Woodies have been declining. Maintenance of the trim is a factor, as is performance. But if you can enjoy these iconic cars for what they are, this example is an outstanding prospect, at a reasonable price even in today’s soft market.