Vehicle Description
This 1949 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible is a beautifully
restored post-war woody that is sure to get lots of attention on a
summer cruise. 1949 was a year of celebration for the Chrysler
Corporation, with the Big Three automaker celebrating its silver
25th anniversary. Furthermore, 1949 was also a significant year for
Chrysler as it marked the first time since the end of World War II
that Chrysler had offered new designs. See, in the first few years
after the war, the American automakers were essentially using their
pre-war tooling so the vast majority of the vehicles from 1946-1948
were just re-badged and/or re-trimmed 1942 designs. For Chrysler,
the cost of re-tooling their production facilities in 1949 was
estimated to exceed $90 million. However, the high cost retooling
turned out to be worthwhile since customers were demanding new
designs and Chrysler ended up producing the highest number of cars
in the company's 25 year history. Unlike many of its Big Three
contemporaries, the new-look '49 Chryslers were only modestly
redesigned and not radically different from the previous designs.
Nonetheless, the 1949 Chryslers were gorgeous and had a truly
elevated look from nearly every angle. Up front, the grilles were
refined from the previous rendition and featured a new "egg crate"
grille. Down the sides of the 1949 Town & Country was of course the
iconic Ash woodwork but new in 1949 was the addition of "Di-Noc"
woodgrain inserts (or for the late production cars, body-color
painted inserts), that replaced the original mahogany inserts found
in the previous Town and Country editions. At the tail end, a new
large wraparound rear bumper sat inset into the rear quarters and
the decklids were more squared off, thus giving the '49 Town and
County a bit roomier of a trunk. In total, Chrysler produced a mere
993 Town and Country Convertibles in 1949 which makes this
particular example quite a rare piece of automotive history. Under
the hood on this '49 Town & Country is a "Spitfire" 323.5 Cu. In.
L-Head Inline 8 fed by a single barrel carburetor that together
were said to have created 135 horsepower when new. The "Spitfire"
324 Straight 8 is backed by a "Presto-Matic" Fluid Drive
Semi-Automatic Transmission which was a neat novelty derived by
Chrysler just after World War II. Exhaust exits from the Spitfire
engine via an exhaust exhaust setup that generates a nice throaty
sound out of the single rear tailpipe. The exterior chrome and
brightwork on this '49 Chrysler Town & Country is outstanding and
shows well. Dual outside chrome mirrors are a huge help when trying
to squeeze this post-war Mopar in a tight space at the local
cruise-in or car show. The beige cloth power convertible top is in
wonderful condition as well and it goes up and down with the simple
flick of a switch. Riding on a set of wide whitewall bias-ply tires
mounted on steel wheels with Chrysler wheelcovers, this 1949 Town
and Country Convertible has a truly classy look. The exterior of
this '49 Chrysler Town & Country is absolutely gorgeous, correctly
refinished in Fog Green paint and accented with Wood Paneling with
"Di-Noc" woodgrain inserts. The interior of this 1949 Chrysler Town
and Country Convertible is simply stunning! The front and rear
bench seats have been reupholstered in Green Leather along with
Soft Tan cloth inserts. The matching door panels, green carpeting,
"Safety Cushion" padded dash, and steering wheel are all in
wonderful condition as well and appear to retain a nice stock
appearance. The instrument cluster comes equipped with a 110 MPH
speedometer, temperature gauge, oil pressure gauge, amp gauge, and
fuel gauge. The dash is finished off with a locking glovebox,
clock, and AM radio.
*"Spitfire" 323.5 Cu. In. L-Head Inline 8
*Single Barrel Carburetor
*"Presto-Matic" Fluid Drive Semi-Automatic Transmission
*135 Horsepower
*Wide Whitewall Tires w/ Full Wheelcovers
*Southern History
*Fog Green w/ Wood Paneling & Di-Noc Woodgrain Inserts
*Green Leather & Soft Tan Bench Seats
*Beige Cloth Power Convertible Top
*Dual Chrome Outside Mirrors
*Stock Instrumentation
*Odometer Reads: 14,248 Miles
