Good timing for this old woodie Town and Country to appear on the Cohort (by roadabr). Just yesterday, I saw Dick Romm driving his splendidly gleaming ’46 T&C, the one I caught on the curb two years ago. It makes quite the contrast to the woodwork of this one.
Obviously, the owner of this one likes his the way it is, patina, weathered wood, old stickers and all. If the patina on the front fender keeps growing, it will look like it’s made of wood too. Maybe that’s he goal.
Word Perfect? These stickers do go back a ways.
Hopefully not.
This is quite a find, one I would have been thrilled to see myself.
But the restored woodwork of Dick’s ’46 glistening in the sun as I saw him come the other way yesterday made me appreciate its splendor, and what a treat it was to shoot and write it up.
1946 Chrysler T&C: A Slave to Fashion and Varnish
Wow. That car would be worth some money restored, and maybe it is even in this state, but it’s obvious that the owner likes it this way. It’s calculated character, which is a good sign. Not manufactured character, but also not a junker. So presumably if anything started to go really bad the owner would take car of it.
I like it, and I like the contrast to the beautifully restored version. Now both side by side at the curb–that’d be extra cool.
Sweet looking car. I’ve always loved the 1946 and 47 Chrysler. I like the restored example in the last photo. As long as it can be driven today, I’m all for it. 🙂
This T&C is parked by the beach down the street from my house. I have yet to see it driving around yet, but I imagine it must be at least somewhat operable due to the parking regs in Vancouver.
Mike, I have seen it driving and saw it recently doing so, it was going down 4th Ave towards its normal parking place by Kits Beach. It’s been around at least a decade.
I’m a regular at Kits Pool in July & August, and the appearance of this car in its ‘spot’ year after year is a sure sign of summer to me.
As far as I know, it resides somewhere else in the winter – under cover I hope.
Tevie, the car’s owner, lives on Kits Point. He drives this car to lots of car shows and festivals and loves to chat with everyone who stops by. He’s quite a character, in his late 70’s I think, with a past that’s as interesting as the stable of old cars he has. There are about 6 or 8 cars of his in various parking spots near his home. This is the most noticeable of them.
He drives this car on long trips all over North America. Mechanically, it’s in very good shape and can handle long trips.
That car! See it all over town, mostly in Kits. I wonder if the owner has been in Kitsilano for a while – hopefully long enough to remember it before it was swarmed with Active West Coast lifestylers and yoga people.
For those of us with the CC calendar, Dick’s 46 is on display all this month. This car gives us another example of the CC effect (as if we needed another.)
I will confess, this one would bother me. A regular old car, if kept out of the weather, will last almost indefinitely. One of these old woodies, on the other hand, will slowly keep on rotting if nothing is done with it. I would hate to see that happen.
Thanks for reminding me to turn my Calender to July; I hadn’t yet…sure enough.
Me either. My calendar is still showing JP’s Espada. 🙂
My thoughts exactly. This car needs some attention. Otherwise its days are numbered.
I’m confused. Is the wood just a covering over steel skin or integral into the construction?
Those wooden parts are like furniture, or an old boat. Although by 1949, the Town & Country was mostly steel with some wood trim, where you see wood on these, the wood goes, deep. Take a look at the close ups that Paul shot on the restored car linked in the article.
Agreed, someone needs to save it! I checked out your story of a coupe of years ago on the other (restored) one – what a car! I knew about Woody Wagons by various manufacturers, but had no idea that coupes, roadsters, sedans, coupes and yes … even Broughams..were offered. Amazing.
So what does today’s buyer look for when wanting something similar.
There is a surprising answer, if only for the wagon buyer! If they wish to avoid an SUV and get a genuine car based wagon with country charm, look no further than a Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake! If you order the wood trimmed luggage bay option you have the closest thing I can think of to this type of car.
“Word Prefect?” Could that be a sort of Freudian Slip from a British Ford, or Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, fan?
“A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.”
Condition makes me sad. 🙁
Just like seeing a neglected wood boat, you wonder how much longer it will be seaworthy.
I would join in about the sad state it’s in but I’m just now getting to my tractor and 57. No room to talk. When it comes to patina though, I got me some.
In the words of one of the commentators at the Barrett-Jackson auctions a few years ago,
“Every man needs a woodie!” followed by, “I can’t believe I said that on national TV!”
Both wonderful cars, and indeed the finest, most well researched site on the net!
That looks to be a 1966 Beaumont behind the Chrysler. Another Canadian version of a Chevelle.
What a “happy” car, so relaxed, carefree. Hopefully the owner kept up with the mechanical stuff though.
Jeeze….at least put some linseed oil on the wood to keep it from drying out completely..
Somehow I have the feeling that the owner knows exactly what he has!
Looks like it made the roughly 1,700 km trip south to Pebble Beach. Was wondering where it had been of late. I’m sure there’s some great story attached to that kind of massive journey.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/2014-concours-dlemons-california-excrellence-excrellence-everywhere-w-mega-gallery/
The termite taxi is back in its usual parking spot at Kitsilano Beach this summer, with a little more fender patina and some serious horn additions. The same Chevelle is behind it again too – they must go to the beach together. What’s new for 2018 are the three electric vehicles quietly charging on the street in the background.