1949 CHRYSLER 2ND SERIES MODEL C-46-2 TOWN & COUNTRY CONVERTIBLE COUPE Chrysler Motors Corporation – Detroit, MI The most memorable Chryslers of the 1946-49 period are the fabulous Town and Country convertibles. It was the car of choice for many Hollywood celebrities. The steel front end looked “Town” and the wood portion looked “Country”, thus the name “Town and Country”. All body surfaces from the cowl back (except rear fenders) were constructed in wood (Arkansas White Ash). Note: Series #1 Convertibles for 1949 were 1948 models that were titled after January 1st of 1949 and have different styling. This Woodie was traded in at VerHage Chrysler in May 2009 by Don Vander toll for a new 2009 Chrysler 300 sedan. Don was a dentist who lived & practiced in Valparaiso, Indiana and had a summer home here in Holland on lakeshore drive. Don had a number of Town & Country Woodie convertibles in his collection including two that were sold to VerHage and then sold to Chad Baarman. This car was restored over a period of 5 years with most of the mechanical and assembly work done in our service department by Kevin Faust, Norm and Lloyd VerHage. Car is driven annually, and all service and restoration records are included. This vehicle has participated in Memorial Day parades transporting veterans who served and defended our country. Undercarriage photos are available on request. ENGINE I-8 323.5 CID HORSEPOWER 135 Fluid-Drive Semi-Automatic Transmission SERIAL NUMBER 7410093, body #1134 WHEELBASE-----------------127” PRODUCTION-----------------1,000 WEIGHT----------4630 lbs. 1949 FACTORY PRICE-----$3,970.00 Initially the 1948 and older T&C’s ash framing was structural, comprising the doors and trunk lid and held together via complex joinery that no doubt taxed Chrysler’s Jefferson Avenue body assembly shop as much as it has restorers in the years since. However, the weight of the car’s cost and build complexity (at a time when anyone would buy anything new at any price) bore down, and by 1949, the ash was merely decorative, bonded to a conventional steel body shell and accented by fake vinyl mahogany. From Hagerty Bull Market 2024 Highs: Everyone loves a woody; A piece of art deco furniture you can drive; America’s favorite parade car or fun for six on a night out at the drive-in. Lows: Built before Eisenhower’s interstates and geared like it; the wood is difficult to restore and maintain; restorations are financial sinkholes. Price Range: #1 – $144,000 #2 – $81,400 #3 – $52,500 #4 – $28,400 HAGERTY AUTO INTELLIGENCE SAYS: There’s a theory that young enthusiasts only want newer cars. Our data show that’s dead wrong. The best older classics, like the T&C, will endure. But find a good one, as restoring a 70-year-old wood-bodied car can be costly.