Amelia Island Photo Album: 1942 Chrysler Town and Country Station Wagon
The Larger family from Westerville, Ohio, brought their very distinctive barrel-back woodie wagon to take part in the special Chrysler Town and Country class. Produced in late January 1942, just one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, this particular Town and Country was one of the last civilian automobiles manufactured. It was built on a Windsor sedan chassis, and is one of 999 Town and Country models produced before the making of war materiel took over Detroit’s automobile factories. This particular six-passenger version, of which just 150 were produced in this body style, remains one of only two known to exist today. There are 15 more out there, but those are nine-passenger models.
This Town and Country wagon was originally used in making industrial training films back in the day, yet it had been very well cared for. Its odometer showed just 22,000 miles when the current owner purchased it back in 1966 in Cleveland. Today, all its wood paneling and framing are original to the car, and remain in very good condition.
With its very limited use of chrome plating (due to the war effort), which was reserved just for the bumpers, this remains the only known “blackout” Town and Country to have survived. The horizontal grille slats are nothing more than painted metal.