Chrysler Newport Town & Country
When Chrysler started up its Town & Country line of vehicles in 1941, the general manager, David Wallace, envisioned a line of station wagons that were more “civilized” than those on the road at the time. This vision culminated with the 1950 Newport version of the Town & Country line.
Chrysler advertised this Town & Country model as having the low-riding features of a convertible that combined with a solid steel top that afforded passengers the “comfort and convenience of a sedan.” The 1950 Newport Town & Country also featured White Ash outer trim and inserts that were painted to match the body color. In addition to a beautifully designed exterior, the Newport Town & Country also featured an excellently designed interior. The interior was well-tailored and came in several attractive options: green or tan leather and nylon cord or black leather and gray nylon cord.
Among the features that came with the Newport Town & Country were four-wheel disc brakes. The inclusion of this style of brakes was one of the first applications of this kind of brake in a production model. Different from standard brakes, these brakes were made up of two Ausco-Lambert discs that expanded inside of a drum. This action caused the discs to rub against the inner surface of the brake, which caused friction and a braking action.
Notes and Specifications
- At a base price of $4,003, the 1950 Newport Town & Country was very expensive for the time
- This base price was more than $900 than the similar 1950 Newport New Yorker
- 700 1950 Newport Town and Countries were produced by Chrysler
- The Newport Town & Country measured in at 222.5 inches
- The wheelbase of the 1950 Newport Town & County was 131.5 inches
- The Newport Town & Country weighed a robust 4,670 pounds
- This is over two tons
- The standard engine on the Newport Town & Country was a sv I-8, that was 323.5 cubic inches and it could produce 135 horsepower
After the 1950 version of the Newport Town & Country, Chrysler discontinued the Woodie-style station wagon. As a result, the Town & County nameplate was shifted over to station wagon styles of each of Chrysler’s other models. In 1951, Chrysler offered the Town & County in the Windsor, Saratoga and New Yorker models. Eventually, in 1961, the Town & Country model was shifted back to the Newport series that was debuting that model year.
