Chrysler has long been a nameplate associated with high-end luxury automobiles. No car embodied this reputation more than the Town & Country did. Introduced in 1940 as a 1941 model, the original Town & Country was a wood-bodied, eight-passenger station wagon with an elegant array of wood paneling that set it apart from anything else on the market. Originally only available as a station wagon until 1942, the model returned after World War II in 1946 in every body style except a station wagon, introducing a four-door sedan and a two-door convertible and eliminating the wagon (a two-door hardtop was produced in 1950). This particular Town & Country, available here on Facebook Marketplace in Franklin, Kentucky, with an asking price of $20,000, represents the first year of the all-steel Town & Country station wagon. Special thanks to Barn Finder Zappenduster for locating this one!
For 1951, Chrysler re-organized their model lineup, dropping the Town & Country as a standalone model and turning it into the sub-model designation for their station wagon line. Available in each of the three Chrysler trim levels, this new version of the Town & Country was an all-steel body, eliminating the wood paneling that made the model famous. However, the lack of wood on the doors did not diminish the level of luxury this longroof oozed out of every pore. Less than 2,000 of each trim level was produced, making this a rare car, no matter the model.
This particular car is a Windsor Town & Country, meaning it is the base trim level available for 1951. As such, it did not get the brand-new for ’51 331 cubic inch FirePower Hemi V8; instead, the Windsor models got the 251 cubic inch iteration of the Chrysler Spitfire flathead-six engine. This engine transmitted power to Chrysler’s nifty M6 Prestomatic “four” speed semi-automatic transmission, which was really a two-speed transmission with an overdrive unit and a fluid coupling and worked in such a fashion that can be described as “dark magic”. While the inner workings may be a mystery to many, operating it wasn’t particularly complicated; use the clutch to select either low or high range (or reverse), and ease off of the accelerator to engage the overdrive. No need to depress the clutch to stop, as the fluid coupling allows you to stop with just the brake and creep forward just like an automatic!
This particular example is in pretty remarkable condition for a car that is 75 years old. There are some chips and scratches and cracks in the paint, and a little bit of rust along the bottom edge of the tailgate, but otherwise the body looks straight and clean. The engine bay looks lived-in, and the underside has what I would consider typical surface rust. The interior is in exceptional condition (though I do spy some Buick floor mats in the back footwells); the brown upholstery looks to be very nice (no word on whether or not the seats have been re-done), the wooden floor in the cargo area is practically spotless, and the dashboard and its large amount of brightwork is in wonderful shape and glistens just as it did in the ’50s. The $20,000 price tag seems in line for a car this rare, in this condition; what do you think about it?
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