Chrysler Town & Country (1941–1988)
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The Chrysler Town & Country is an automobile which was manufactured by Chrysler from 1940 to 1942 and from 1945 to 1988 with production interrupted during World War II. Primarily produced as a luxury station wagon, the Town & Country was also available in "woodie" four-door sedan, two-door hardtop and convertible body styles from 1947 to 1950, 1968 to 1969 and from 1983 to 1986. The 1988 model year was the last for the station wagon until the 1990 model year when Chrysler reintroduced the Town & Country nameplate as the rebadged variant Chrysler Town & Country minivan.
1946-1950
First Generation (post-war)

1948 Chrysler Town & Country 2-door convertible
Overview
Production
1945-1950 (post-war)
Model years
1946-1950 (post-war)
Assembly
Jefferson Avenue Assembly
Detroit, Michigan
(starting 1948)
Los Angeles (Maywood) Assembly
Los Angeles, California
Body and chassis
Body style
4-door sedan (1946-1948)
2-door hardtop (1950 only)
2-door convertible (1946-1949)
Layout
FR layout
Related
Chrysler Imperial
Chrysler New Yorker
Chrysler Saratoga
Chrysler Windsor
DeSoto Custom
Powertrain
Engine
250.6 cu in (4.1 L) Chrysler I6
323.5 cu in (5.3 L) Chrysler I8
Transmission
3-speed synchromesh manual
3-speed synchromesh manual w/Fluid Drive
Presto-Matic 3-speed semi-automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase
121.5 in (3,086 mm) (straight 6)
127.5 in (3,238 mm) (straight 8)
Length
208.3 in (5,291 mm) (straight 6)
214.3 in (5,443 mm) (straight 8)
Width
77.8 in (1,976 mm)

1946
After World War II, the Town & Country nameplate returned, though the 4-door 8-passenger station wagon did not. Only the 1946 Town & Country 4-door sedan and the 1946 Town & Country 2-door convertible were offered; however, the 1946 Town & Country sales brochure also described and illustrated a roadster, a 2-door sedan called the Brougham, and a 2-door hardtop called the Custom Club Coupe. None of those three additional body styles progressed beyond the prototype stage, with one Brougham and seven Custom Club Coupes built; it would be another three model years before General Motors would offer the first mass-produced 2-door hardtops, while the Town & Country range would not see a production 2-door hardtop until one model year after that. The wooden body framing was made from white ash and the panels were mahogany veneer but were now bonded to steel body panels. The average retail price was listed at US$2,609 ($36,254 in 2021 dollars ) and production totals were documented at 2,169.
1947
During the 1947 model year, the 1947 Town & Country 4-door sedan and the 1947 2-door convertible each carried over with just a few improvements over the previous model year (1946).

1948 Chrysler Town & Country sedan
1948
During the 1948 model year, while the 1948 Town & Country 4-door sedan was in its last model year of production ever after only a three-model-year production run (since the 1946 model year), the 1948 Town & Country 2-door convertible carried over with just very few improvements over the previous model year (1947). This was also the year the genuine Honduran mahogany wood panels were replaced by DI-NOC vinyl panels. A similar appearance sedan was also introduced in 1948 called the Packard Station Sedan which appeared like a sedan but had a two-piece tailgate constructed entirely of wood.
1949
The 1949 Town & Country 2-door convertible, which carried over with so very few improvements over the previous model year (1948), was in its last model year of production, which was the only Chrysler Town & Country offering during the 1949 model year after a four-model-year production run (since the 1946 model year), during the next model year (1950), Chrysler would produce the last true woodie offering—ever—as the Town & Country Newport 2-door hardtop. The cars for 1949 were first Chrysler's new postwar designs, with a longer wheelbase (131.5 in), based upon the New Yorker model.
1950
The 1950 Town & Country 2-door hardtop was Chrysler's last true woodie offering during its one-model-year production run while the panels were now simulated. This was also the year a new optional feature was available, windshield washers which are now a standard feature on all cars worldwide.

1950 Chrysler Town & Country Newport 2-door hardtop (post-war)
The 1950 Crosley Hot Shot is often given credit for the first production disc brakes but the Chrysler Imperial Crown actually had them first as standard equipment at the start of the 1949 model year. The Chrysler 4-wheel disc brake system was built by Auto Specialties Manufacturing Company (Ausco) of St. Joseph, Michigan, under patents of inventor H.L. Lambert, and was first tested on a 1939 Plymouth. Unlike the caliper disc, the Ausco-Lambert utilized twin expanding discs that rubbed against the inner surface of a cast-iron brake drum, which doubled as the brake housing.[6]
The Ausco-Lambert disc brake was complex, and because of the expense, the brakes were only standard on the Chrysler Imperial Crown through 1954 and the Town and Country Newport in 1950. They were optional, however, on other Chryslers, priced around $400 ($4,505 in 2021