1950 Chrysler Town & Country Newport

Back in the day there was a time when automobile manufacturers took notice of the true beauty of wood for more than just interior decoration.  Indeed, early cars actually had a wood frame work under their metal bodies.  Wood then found its way onto the outside of many cars not only as a decoration, but as a functional part of the body itself.  In its final phase, wood was used as a décor for the outside of a full metal body.  The last of the true wood bodied automobiles is nicely represented in this beautiful 1950 Chrysler Town & Country Newport.  Selling for a whopping $4,003 dollars in 1950, the Town & Country was marketed more to generate showroom traffic than sales; a task it did quite well.  Simply put, the Town & Country is a car that has to be admired for quite some time in order to be fully appreciated.  One of those who admired it enough to buy one was comedian and television star Jackie Gleason, who drove a Town & Country for many years.

The Town & Country Newport coupe offered here is an incredible example of this wonderful car from Chrysler.  It’s an original condition car that still carries its factory paint and woodwork.  Years of painstaking care have seen to it that this car is the original by which all others can be judged.  Power for this 4,670 pound car comes from a Chrysler inline eight-cylinder rated at 135 horsepower.  The preservation of this car is truly remarkable given the arduous task of maintaining the wood work, but it has somehow survived the years in good condition making it a rarity among others of its kind.   

The Town & Country from Chrysler was the last of its kind in many ways.  1950 would be the last year for this body style, and it would also be the last year for the Chrysler inline eight after entering service back in 1930.  Chrysler built only 700 of these fine automobiles and survivors are very few.  There are few American cars that have the appeal of this car and it is sure to be a welcome addition to any collector car event.