1949 Chrysler Town & Country Convertible Sedan

This 1949 Chrysler Town & Country Convertible was offered for sale at the 2007 Christie's Auction of 'Exceptional Motor Cars at the Monterey Jet Center.' It is finished in Thunder Gray with Di-Noc wood grain panels, red leather with a beige Bedford cord interior, and a taupe top. It is powered by an eight-cylinder engine that displaces 323.5 cubic inches and produces 135 horsepower. There is a fluid-drive semi-automatic gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

These vehicles were mostly hand built and rested on the New Yorker's chassis. The Town & Country Convertible had a base price of $3,765 which was a very expensive sticker price at the time. Chrysler chose to discontinue the use of Di-Noc inserts part-way through 1949 in favor of painted steel panels.

This vehicle is number 49 of the roughly 1,000 convertible Town & Country's produced. Less than 150 of those are believed to have weathered the test of time. It has traveled only 26,000 miles since new and is in very good and original condition. The seats have been replaced since new while all other components are believed to be original.

At the auction, this vehicle carried an estimated value of $90,000 - $140,000, which proved to be accurate as a new buyer was found, and one willing to part with $99,000 to own this vehicle.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2007