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The Chrysler Town & Country was a station wagon manufactured by Chrysler from 1941 to 1988. The model was also sold as a sedan, coupe, and convertible from 1947–1950 and as a convertible again from 1983–1986. It was distinguished by woodgrain paneling on the body sides and tailgate, a feature also associated with competitive station wagons such as the Mercury Colony Park, Buick Estate, and the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. Chrysler re-introduced the Town & Country nameplate as a luxury rebadged variant of the Dodge Caravan minivan in 1989 and continues to sell this incarnation of the Town & Country to the present day. A simulated woodgrain appearance reappeared briefly on Chrysler products on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chrysler PT Cruiser. == 1941–1950 == 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 wood double doors that opened out from the center beneath a fixed rear window. Production of the cars stopped during World War II. In 1941 and 1942, fewer than 1,000 were manufactured. General Motors claims the distinction of mass-producing the first pillarless hardtop coupes in 1949; however Chrysler built seven Town and Country versions of this body style in 1946, of which only one survives today. The T&C hardtop finally went into production for the 1950 model year. After the war the Town & Country nameplate returned, but the station wagon body did not. Town & Country sedans, coupes, 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. The 1950 Crosley Hot Shot is often given credit for the first production disc brakes but the Chrysler Crown Imperial actually had them first as standard equipment at the beginning of the 1949 model year. The Chrysler 4-wheel disc brake system was built by Auto Specialties Manufacturing Company (Ausco) of St. Joseph, Michigan, under patents of inventor H.L. Lambert, and was first tested on a 1939 Plymouth.〔 Unlike the caliper disc, the Ausco-Lambert utilized twin expanding discs that rubbed against the inner surface of a cast iron brake drum, which doubled as the brake housing.〔 The Ausco-Lambert disc brake was complex, and because of the expense, the brakes were only standard on the Chrysler Crown Imperial through 1954 and the Town and Country Newport in 1950.〔 They were optional, however, on other Chryslers, priced around $400, at a time when an entire Crosley Hot Shot retailed for $935.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chrysler Town & Country (1941–1988)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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