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
