1941 Chrysler Town & Country

This 1941 Chrysler Town and Country is one of 200 six-passenger “barrel back” station wagons manufactured during a single year of production and is said to have been built on May 16, 1941, before being delivered new in Syracuse, New York. The car was imported from California to Europe in the early 2000s before being purchased from a Belgian broker in 2010 by the seller, who returned it to California and commissioned the refurbishment of the woodwork, maroon leather upholstery, and carpeting. Finished in black with white ash and Honduran mahogany wood panels, the car is powered by a 241.5ci L-head inline-six mated to a column-shifted Vacamatic Fluid Drive four-speed semi-automatic transmission. Additional features include four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, coil-sprung independent front suspension, burgundy-painted 16” wheels, curved clam-shell rear doors, a full steel roof, and a cowl-mounted spot lamp. This Series C-28 Town and Country is now offered with an uninstalled reproduction roof rack, a collection of spare parts and trim, owner’s and sales manuals, model-related literature, and a clean California title in the seller’s name. Chrysler introduced the Town and Country nameplate in 1941 with a streamlined station wagon designed to offer refinement ideal for city travel in harmony with utilitarian elements suited to rural driving. Based on the 121.5”-wheelbase Windsor platform, the Town and Country shared the standard Windsor front styling while its bodywork rearward of the cowl combined white ash framing and Honduran mahogany veneer topped by an all-steel roof. The Town and Country was offered in six- and nine-passenger configurations, with just under 1,000 station wagons built before the 1942 model arrived with updated bodywork and an abbreviated production run. The Town and Country Chapter of the National Woodie Club lists four examples of the six-passenger variant that are documented as still in existence. Originally finished in Palace Brick Brown, the steel body panels were refinished in black under previous ownership. Areas of wood are said to have been replaced at various times, with work under current ownership including repairs to the rocker panels in 2015. Features include centrally latching curved doors integrated into a fastback-style rear contour, chrome bumpers with triple overriders, swan-neck side mirrors, a driver-side cowl-mounted spotlight, front and rear quarter vent windows, black rear fender guards, and hand-painted “Metro Goldwyn Mayer” lettering on the front doors. Steel wheels wear bright hubcaps and beauty rings and are wrapped in 6.50R16 Coker Classic wide-whitewall tires, as is a matching spare located in the trunk. Stopping power is provided by hydraulic drum brakes at each corner, while an externally contracting mechanical handbrake acts upon the driveshaft. The wheel cylinders are said to have been rebuilt under current ownership, while the master cylinder rod was adjusted. The cabin houses two rows of bench seats that were re-trimmed in maroon leather during an interior refresh carried out between 2014 and 2015. Additional features include beige carpeting bound in maroon, varnished door panels with ivory-color marbled plastic accents, roll-up front compartment side windows, sliding windows flanking the rear seat, a rear cargo shelf trimmed in maroon leather with wood runners, a beige headliner with wood bows, an overhead hat holder, a heater, a dash-mounted compass, and an electric fan fitted to the passenger-side B-pillar. The two-spoke steering wheel features an ivory-color marbled plastic hub accent that matches the trim over the fascia of the black-painted dash. Instrumentation includes a horizontal-sweep 110-mph speedometer, a clock, and gauges monitoring coolant temperature, amperage, oil pressure, and fuel level. The five-digit odometer shows 82k miles, approximately 4k of which have been added under current ownership. The seller describes the fuel gauge as finicky, and the horn is not connected. The radio has been refurbished but is also not connected. Cracks are present in the plastic bezel atop the speedometer. The trunk compartment was also re-trimmed during the interior refresh under current ownership. The 241.5ci L-head inline-six features a single carburetor and was factory rated at 112 horsepower at 3,600 rpm. Work under current ownership is said to have included a carburetor rebuild, replacement of the center engine block freeze plug, a rebuild of the generator, and repairs to the six-volt starter and solenoid. A lubrication service were performed in October 2023, at which time the fluids were checked and topped off. Corrosion is noted on the engine. Power is sent to the rear wheels via Fluid Drive fluid coupling and a four-speed semi-automatic transmission that features Vacamatic shifting between two gears of either a high or low range. The transmission shift forks, rear transmission seal, and right-rear axle seal were replaced under current ownership, and the main-shaft bearings were shimmed. Suspension incorporates a coil-sprung independent front setup and a leaf-sprung solid rear axle, with tubular shock absorbers and anti-roll bars utilized at front and rear. The rear spring shackles have been replaced under current ownership, while steering work has included the replacement of the pitman arm bushings and tie-rod ends. Corrosion is noted on various underside components. The firewall data plate lists the original trim codes and identifies the car as a six-passenger station wagon. A collection of parts accompanying the car includes a reproduction roof rack, a refurbished radio, a Sparton four-trumpet musical horn, a carburetor, a spotlight, a steering wheel, and several trim pieces. Also included in the sale are three salesmen’s booklets, two tin toys, three books by Donald J. Narus, copies of the Town and Country Owners Registry Timber Tales magazine, and various other pieces of marque-related literature and memorabilia.