1950 Chrysler New Yorker

Introduced in 1941, Chrysler's wood-bodied Town and Country was the epitome of luxury and quality and a far cry from the utilitarian depot hack ancestors. The Town & Country concept originated from drawings penned around 1938 by Chrysler designer 'Buzz' Grisinger. Chrysler Corporation General Manager Dave Wallace then championed the idea as a limited-production showroom-traffic generator.

Production of the pre-war Town & Country models ceased in 1942 in support of the war efforts, only to be revived in 1946 with America's full-scale re-entry in automobile production. Bodystyles of the post-WWII Town & Country included a convertible and low-production sedan. For 1949, only a Town & Country convertible was available, and for the final year of Town & Country availability, the luxurious concept was applied to Chrysler's Newport 2-door pillarless hardtop, a new addition to the Chrysler model lineup for 1950. The 1950 Town & Country model has the distinction of being the only wood-bodied Chrysler hardtop ever produced. Additionally, this was the end of the Chrysler models to be powered by the same basic inline 8-cylinder engine first used on the Series CD-8 of 1931. Standard equipment on the Town & Country models included the 323.5 cubic-inch engine delivering 135 brake horsepower and backed by a Fluid-Drive transmission.

Building the Town & Country models was labor-intensive and the work of skilled craftsmen who joined, assembled, and finished Ash hardwood overlays separately before being fitted to each vehicle's body. The compound-curved frames were hand-formed to ensure proper fitment to the steel bodywork. Unlike the previous Town & Country models, the 1950 Newport-based vehicles only used Ash body framing, and the space between the frames was body color.

Body styles available on the 1950 Chrysler Town & Country included the T&C Newport and Newport, a 4-door wood wagon, a convertible, sedan, and a club coupe. Pricing began at $2,730 for the Club Coupe and rose to over $4,000 for the 2-door Town & Country Newport - of which 700 (sources state 698) examples were built. The T&C Newport was the most expensive coupe built in America. The most popular body style was the 4-door sedan which found 22,633 willing buyers. 899 of the convertible were built and 2,800 of the Newport.

Exterior changes for 1950 include a rear bumper that no longer wrapped around the rear fender, the license plate frame and backup lights mounted to the rear bumper, and unique tail lamps.

The interiors were elegant and well-appointed with wool carpeting, a unique steering wheel, wooden trim, and top-quality upholstery.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2020