| Manufacturer | Chrysler Corporation |
|---|---|
| Production | 1941–1989 |
| Successor | Chrysler Town & Country minivan |
| Class | Full-size (1941–1977) Mid-size (1978–1981) Compact (1982–1989) |
The Chrysler Town & Country was a station wagon manufactured by Chrysler Corporation and sold under its flagship brand from 1941–1989. The model was also sold as a sedan, coupé, and convertible from 1947–1950 and as a convertible from 1982–1986.
Chrysler re-introduced the Town & Country nameplate as a rebadged variant of the Dodge Caravan minivan in 1990 and continues to sell this incarnation of the Town & Country to the present day.
Contents |
| Production | 1941–1950 |
|---|---|
| Body style | 4-door station wagon (1941-42) 4-door sedan (1946-48) 2-door convertible (1946-49) 2-door hardtop (1950) |
| Layout | FR layout |
The Town & Country was a debut of the first woodie wagon with an all-steel roof; the roof used was that of the big Chrysler Imperial 8-passenger sedan and limousine, which led to a unique (and compromised) rear loading arrangement with wooden double doors that opened hutch-style beneath a fixed rear window. Production of the cars stopped during World War II. In 1941 and 1942, fewer than 1,000 were manufactured.
After the war the Town & Country nameplate returned, but the station wagon body did not. Town & Country sedans, coupés, and convertibles were also produced from 1946 to 1950 in much larger numbers than the prewar wagon. Production of the original, woodie Town & Country ended in 1950.
| Production | 1951–1960 |
|---|---|
| Body style | 4-door station wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine | 413 cu in (6.8 L) V8 |
| Related | Chrysler Windsor Chrysler Saratoga Chrysler New Yorker |
After the woodies were discontinued, the Town & Country name was immediately transferred to a steel-bodied full-size rear wheel drive station wagon, coinciding with the debut of the company's first V8 engine (then called FireDome, 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.
1960 Chrysler Town and Country |
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| Production | 1961–1964 |
|---|---|
| Body style | 4-door station wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Chrysler 300 Chrysler Newport Chrysler New Yorker |
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.
| Production | 1965–1968 |
|---|---|
| Assembly | Detroit, Michigan |
| Body style | 4-door station wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | C-body |
| Related | Chrysler New Yorker Dodge Polara Plymouth Fury Dodge Monaco Plymouth VIP Chrysler 300 Chrysler Newport Dodge Custom 880 Chrysler 300L |
| Production | 1969–1973 |
|---|---|
| Body style | 4-door station wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | C-body |
| Related | Chrysler New Yorker Dodge Polara Plymouth Fury Dodge Monaco Plymouth VIP Chrysler 300 Chrysler Newport Plymouth Gran Fury |
| Production | 1974–1977 |
|---|---|
| Body style | 4-door station wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | C-body |
| Related | Chrysler New Yorker Dodge Polara Plymouth Fury Dodge Monaco Plymouth VIP Chrysler 300 Chrysler Newport Plymouth Gran Fury |
| Production | 1978–1981 |
|---|---|
| Body style | 4-door station wagon |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | M-body F-body |
| Engine | 318 cu in (5.2 L) V8 360 cu in (5.9 L) V8 |
| Wheelbase | 112.7 in (2,863 mm) |
| Length | 205.5 in (5,220 mm) |
| Width | 74.2 in (1,885 mm) |
| Height | 55.5 in (1,410 mm) |
| Related | Chrysler New Yorker Dodge Diplomat Plymouth Caravelle Dodge Aspen Plymouth Volare |
Starting in 1978, and ending in 1981, the Town & Country moved to the same bodytype or shell as the compact rear wheel drive Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare wagons. The more upmarkets were considered a separate series, designated the Chrysler M platform, which included the Chrysler LeBaron, Dodge Diplomat, and Plymouth Gran Fury as well as the Town & Country. There were, however, not many substantial differences in the chassis and powertrain, and only Town & Country had plastic woodgrain trim on the sides.
| Production | 1982–1989 |
|---|---|
| Assembly | Newark, Delaware |
| Body style | 4-door station wagon 2-door convertible |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Platform | K-body |
| Engine | 2.5 L 96 hp I4 |
| Transmission | 3-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 100.4 in (2,550 mm) |
| Length | 179.0 in (4,547 mm) |
| Width | 68.0 in (1,727 mm) |
| Height | 53.2 in (1,351 mm) |
| Related | Chrysler LeBaron Dodge 400 Plymouth Reliant Dodge Aries |
From 1982 to 1989, the Town & 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 & Country convertible was manufactured in 1983, which featured plastic woodgrain paneling to bring up comparisons to the original 1940s convertibles.
In 1990 the Town & Country name was applied to a the new Chrysler branded luxury minivan, based on the Dodge Grand Caravan and Plymouth Grand Voyager, which had both been introduced in 1984. The Town & Country has been redesigned in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008, with each generation adding new technology and numerous industry firsts.
| Type | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Compact | LeBaron | PT Cruiser | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Town & Country | Town & Country | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size | LeBaron (2-dr) | Sebring (2-dr) | Sebring (2-dr) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LeBaron conv. | Sebring conv. | Sebring conv. | Sebring conv. | 200 conv. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| E-Class | LeBaron GTS | LeBaron (4-dr) | Cirrus | Sebring (4-dr) | Sebring (4-dr) | 200 (4-dr) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LeBaron | Fifth Avenue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Yorker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Newport | Newport | Fifth Avenue | Concorde | Concorde | 300 | 300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Yorker | New Yorker | New Yorker | New Yorker | New Yorker | 300M | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Town & Country | Imperial | LHS | LHS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports | Laser | Conquest | Prowler | Crossfire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crossover SUV | Pacifica | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUV | Aspen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minivan | TEVan | Voyager | Voyager | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Town & Country | Town & Country | Town & Country | Town & Country | Town & Country | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Limousine | Executive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal luxury | Cordoba | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Imperial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GT | TC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| See also: List of Chrysler vehicles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||