1941 Chrysler Series 28 Six Windsor LWB 9-Passenger Town & Country Station Wagon

This 1941 Chrysler Town & Country Barrel-Back Woodie Wagon was offered for sale at the 2007 RM Auctions held in Amelia Island, Florida. It was estimated to sell for $175,000 - $225,000. It is powered by a 250 cubic-inch Spitfire six-cylinder engine capable of producing 114 horsepower. There is a semi-automatic gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

The Town & Country Estate Wagon was first introduced in 1939. It was elegant and luxurious and intended for both city and country driving - thus the name. The wood body design was intended to have the same basic lines as the steel-bodied sedans. The bodies were created from two types of woods, including the structural wood of white ash with contrasting panels in Honduran mahogany.

Production continued until the early 1940s when the onset of World War II brought civilian production to a close. For 1941, production totaled 997 examples of these hand-built vehicles. 797 were nine-passenger cars and 200 were six-passenger cars.

This car has been treated to a complete restoration. The wood was replaced with the correct white ash and Honduran mahogany. It is finished in a maroon exterior color and trimmed in red leather. In 1996, the car was invited to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it was awarded a winner in the Wood Estate Wagon class.

At the auction, the car was sold for $170,500.

In 2009, the car returned to auction, this time at Gooding & Company's auction held at Pebble Beach, CA. It was expected to sell for $175,000 - $250,000. The lot was sold for the sum of $192,500, inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2010