The Chrysler Town and Country was introduced by Chrysler Corp. in 1941. This was a debute of the first woodiewagon with an all-steel roof. The car was dubbed the Town & Country. Production of the cars stopped during World War II. In 1941 and 1942, less than 1,000 were manufactured.
After the war, the Town & Country returned, this time being produced in much larger numbers. Town and Country sedans, coupés, and convertibles were also produced from 1946 to 1950. Production of the original, woodie Town & Country ended in 1950.
After the woodies were discontinued, the Town & Country name was immediately transferred to a steel-bodied full-sizerear wheel drivestation wagon, coinciding with the debut of the company's first V8 engine (then called FirePower, but later dubbed HEMI). This wagon introduced several firsts, including roll-down rear windows for tailgates in 1951 and rear-facing third row seats in 1957, rear wipers in 1968, integral air deflectors in 1969 and ignition interlock to prevent children from opening the gate while the car was running in 1971.[1]
The 1951 Town & Country wagons were offered in the Windsor, Saratoga and New Yorker series. The New Yorker version disappeared for 1952, but reappeared for 1953 when the Saratoga series was dropped. The Windsor version lasted through 1960, then was moved to the new Newport series for 1961; the New Yorker edition continued through 1965. Then in 1969, the Town & Country became a series in its own right.
From 1960 to 1964, all Town & Country wagons were built with hardtop styling. In 1965, the Town & Country was officially placed on the Chrysler C platform, along with such cars as the Chrysler New Yorker and Plymouth Fury. The 1968 edition added simulated woodgrain paneling, in a way bringing it back to the tradition of the 1941–1950 Town & Country.
From 1982 to 1988, the Town and Country name was used on a station wagon version of the K-based, front wheel drive LeBaron, featuring plastic woodgrain exterior trim. A special Town and Country convertible was manufactured in 1983, which featured plastic woodgrain paneling to bring up comparisons to the original 1940s convertibles.