1947 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible
From the cowl forward, the Town and Country reads as a conventional New Yorker convertible. Behind it, white ash framing and contrasting Honduran mahogany panels take over, covering every surface rearward of the firewall except the rear fenders.
The folding top was the only non-wood element in the rear section; the wood was hand-fitted at Chrysler’s Jefferson Avenue plant in Detroit, arriving from Pekin Wood Products of Helena, Arkansas, with every compound curve and wood-to-metal joint shaped by hand.
The concept originated with Chrysler General Manager David Wallace, who wanted something elegant enough for city and chauffeur use, yet practical enough for country living.
The line began in 1941 as a barrel-back sedan in the six-cylinder Royal series; the postwar convertible, on the New Yorker’s 127.5-inch wheelbase, carried that platform’s 323.5 CI L-head straight-eight making 135 hp, backed by Prestomatic Fluid Drive.
At $3,420, it was the most expensive Chrysler of its time.
Total Town and Country production across all body styles reached 5,787 for 1947, with 3,136 of those being convertibles. Combined 1946-1948 convertible output totaled 8,368 before the model transitioned to a metal-bodied hardtop for 1950.
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