[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-main-header” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Open Sans|800|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_font_size=”36px” custom_margin=”||5px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Built for one year, the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe was the last of marque\u2019s true \u2018woodies\u2019. We drive one in the UK, and we\u2019re stirred by its sense of wanderlust<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-byline” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Open Sans|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.3em” text_orientation=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Words ROB SCORAH<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_40381-scaled.jpg” alt=”The Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe ” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_4038%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|||4px||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_class=”has-dropcap” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Look at that; that swathe of chrome, the way it rolls across the dashboard. I\u2019d opened the big heavy door of this 1950 Chrysler Town and Country, turning a handle that weighed and resisted just enough to tell me of its quality and manufacture, slid across the wide and ample bench seat, pulling myself into position with a steering wheel that almost spanned my shoulders. I was just going to put the key in the ignition, about to start the engine, when I became transfixed by the full-on, silver-on-black Art Deco-ness of the dashboard. It\u2019s like the side of some Chicago-to-New York streamliner express rushing across in front of me; a wash of bright, ribbed metal. In the middle sits the radio, its outline stamped into the steel, and its solid-looking, round-cornered and indented block buttons sitting square between two heavy knurled knobs. All that sits above another impressive set of thick-set knobs and sliders that have an air of both mystery and precision, but which turn out to be merely the heating controls.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3574-scaled.jpg” alt=”Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe with driver door open showing steering wheel” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3574″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Fluid Drive transmission operates via a clutch pedal and column stalk<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||13px|0px||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n But nothing is \u2018merely\u2019 anything inside the Chrysler Town and Country Newport Coupe, to give it its full Sunday name. Everything is deliberate, slightly mannered, a little theatrical \u2013 a little Kitsch even. It\u2019s not even really Fifties \u2013 I can feel the resonant echoes of the pre-War Chrysler Building in that instrument cluster. It\u2019s like Bauhaus never happened. Though to be fair, you could say that of any Rolls-Royce or Jaguar of the period \u2013 or two decades later, for that matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Still, who cares? And there\u2019s another feeling I get sitting here looking at all this; it reminds me of that unforgettable moment as a child; the first time you ever sit behind the steering wheel of a real car, when all the controls are fascinating and exciting \u2013 even the cigarette lighter. Are my feet touching the floor?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure that was the feeling Chrysler wanted to elicit when you slid behind the wheel of the Newport Coupe for the first time, but it certainly wanted you to be impressed and excited. The Town and Country was derived from the New Yorker, Chrysler\u2019s flagship model. Both inside and outside, the senior brand of the corporation had laid on every styling significator, a few of them contradictory, to tell you the car\u2019s status and story. Then and now, the Newport was a proper car and an imposing beast. Staring out over that big domed bonnet you know that. Don\u2019t let the Coupe name mislead you; it\u2019s as big as a Fifties Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud \u2013 I have one nearby for reference. It\u2019s not one of those that\u2019s going to \u2018shrink around you\u2019 either. Still gazing at a chromed winged bonnet mascot that looks yards away, I turn the key wondering what noise will come from an engine that needs that big a hood.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_36941-scaled.jpg” alt=”Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3694%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Its 5665mm length made the Newport the longest American two-door of its era<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n After a muted whump from the starter motor, the engine fires and settles into a low, reserved thrum. It surprises me; I think I was expecting the deep snarl of a Hemi V8 \u2013 my more usual experience of later Mopar, or maybe the grunt of Fifties Dodges I\u2019ve met, decked out in full battle dress and spoiling for a fight on the dusty roads of the Carrera Panamericana. The Newport\u2019s motor is sounding altogether more urbane and less obtrusive \u2013 you wouldn\u2019t want the new car to frighten Audrey and the boys even before you\u2019d begun the drive to the Catskills, after all.<\/p>\n Anyway; this motor is a straight eight; the so-called Spitfire with an \u2018L-Head\u2019 \u2013 take a look at the exhaust manifold and you\u2019ll see why. It was of a lineage of Chrysler fours, sixes and eights that went all the way back to 1924, though the eight didn\u2019t appear until 1949. And while right from 1932, when folk were already getting worked up about Ford\u2019s \u2018flathead\u2019 V8, many still preferred the effortless low-down torque and sophisticated manners of the in-line engines. I\u2019m kind of getting that \u2013 our girl is pulling away very smoothly with no fuss, setting off in a calm manner.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_37471-scaled.jpg” alt=”Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3747%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Chrome hubs hide innovative but complex discs-withindrums braking system<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Well\u2026 the car may be calm, but if you\u2019ve never driven one of these before, you may have some adjusting to do as a driver getting the hang of this Chrysler\u2019s clever semi-automatic transmission. Arrayed in front of you on the floor are the usual three pedals, widely-spaced and relatively high. And to the right of the steering wheel there is a substantial, long and long-throw column-shift lever \u2013 more of a beam \u2013 which, in conjunction with the clutch, you push up to get into the low ratios. All goes smoothly \u2013 well, firm shove, clunkily smoothly \u2013 and the Chrysler sets off with not much more than a burr from that seemingly far-off motor. It\u2019s eager to get out of its lowest gear.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_40771-scaled.jpg” alt=”Driver in the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_4077%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Driving position sets tone for languorous dynamic experience<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n After a muted whump from the starter motor, the engine fires and settles into a low, reserved thrum. It surprises me; I think I was expecting the deep snarl of a Hemi V8 \u2013 my more usual experience of later Mopar, or maybe the grunt of Fifties Dodges I\u2019ve met, decked out in full battle dress and spoiling for a fight on the dusty roads of the Carrera Panamericana. The Newport\u2019s motor is sounding altogether more urbane and less obtrusive \u2013 you wouldn\u2019t want the new car to frighten Audrey and the boys even before you\u2019d begun the drive to the Catskills, after all.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_40021.jpg” alt=”Side mirror of the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_4002%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Essential equipment for your marauding through the Catskills<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Anyway; this motor is a straight eight; the so-called Spitfire with an \u2018L-Head\u2019 \u2013 take a look at the exhaust manifold and you\u2019ll see why. It was of a lineage of Chrysler fours, sixes and eights that went all the way back to 1924, though the eight didn\u2019t appear until 1949. And while right from 1932, when folk were already getting worked up about Ford\u2019s \u2018flathead\u2019 V8, many still preferred the effortless low-down torque and sophisticated manners of the in-line engines. I\u2019m kind of getting that \u2013 our girl is pulling away very smoothly with no fuss, setting off in a calm manner.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Well\u2026 the car may be calm, but if you\u2019ve never driven one of these before, you may have some adjusting to do as a driver getting the hang of this Chrysler\u2019s clever semi-automatic transmission. Arrayed in front of you on the floor are the usual three pedals, widely-spaced and relatively high. And to the right of the steering wheel there is a substantial, long and long-throw column-shift lever \u2013 more of a beam \u2013 which, in conjunction with the clutch, you push up to get into the low ratios. All goes smoothly \u2013 well, firm shove, clunkily smoothly \u2013 and the Chrysler sets off with not much more than a burr from that seemingly far-off motor. It\u2019s eager to get out of its lowest gear.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_39121-scaled.jpg” alt=”Inside the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe with a fold-out tray” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3912%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Fold-out convenience tray. In case Audrey needs to… powder her nose?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Letting off the throttle gives the \u2019box it\u2019s prompting to change up via a hydraulic piston \u2013 without recourse to the clutch \u2013 but it\u2019s pretty quickly through second too. Now you\u2019re at the point when you need the clutch again, to get into \u2018high\u2019 or third\/fourth or whatever you want to call it. So; clutch in and pull the long lever right down \u2013 a long movement with a slight extra shove at the end. The gear selector feels distanced from the action, though I\u2019m comparing it \u2013 probably very unfairly \u2013 to Mercedes column shifts of a few years later. Even so, on the move, this soon becomes a fairly swift operation.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-quote-bold” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” text_font_size=”20px” text_orientation=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u2018It quickly relaxes into long straights, rolling gently in the turns\u2019<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_36271.jpg” alt=”The back of the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3627%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The Town & Country name lost its lustre after the 1950 model<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The brakes were actually one of the most modern features of this essentially Forties car and were a usually a $400 option only available on Chrysler\u2019s top models, though the Newport received them as standard equipment. Designed by Ausco-Lambert (aka Auto Specialties Manufacturing Company), they look like big finned drums, but inside the casing is a pair of discs which, when you depress the pedal, are pushed apart, its friction pads pressing against the inside of the drum. Inside, steel balls further move to wedge the disc apart, amplifying the stopping power \u2013 I\u2019m not convinced you can feel that \u2013 and these are retracted when you release the pedal. All a bit involved, but effective.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Back on the power, the car soon relaxes into straights, rolling gently in the turns and keeping a poised low-key demeanour as if it\u2019s settling in for a long haul. Like so many big tourers \u2013 from both sides of the Atlantic \u2013 it\u2019s an open-roads animal.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_39051.jpg” alt=”Inside the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe engine” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3905%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Never intended at a volume-seller for its conglomerate parent<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Once in \u2018high\u2019 the Newport can be driven like a full automatic, even stopping and starting again without shifting to \u2018low\u2019 if you\u2019re willing to go with its more leisurely take-off speeds thanks to the Fluid Drive coupling ahead of the clutch. But it\u2019s not a torque converter. Again, as you step up in high to \u2018fourth\u2019, it\u2019s just a quick lifting of the throttle when you get to the high(er) revs. Somewhere from the bowels of the ship you\u2019ll hear a clunk. It doesn\u2019t even complain if you forget to lift off between gears. Navigating country lanes actually gives you a false impression of how one of these cars motors. The constant recourse for \u2018low\u2019 via the clutch and shifter for tight narrow turns was probably not often in the Newport\u2019s remit and, to be fair, \u2018high\u2019 seems well able to deal with most situations. And the car will stop too, though granted in that characteristically big-boat, Fifties manner.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n It\u2019s one of those cars where you enjoy the going rather than the driving, looking at the landscape ahead and wanting to push on to see more. You\u2019re also enjoying it from the railroad observation car-like ambience of your Art Deco Salon. The Newport was a lot more sybaritic and stylish than its predecessors. Whereas in a \u201948 Town & Country, with its tartan seats and far more rudimentary door cards, you may have felt fine driving off on a hunting trip in your red and black plaid patch-pocket jacket \u2013 with matching trapper\u2019s hat of course (we draw the line at a moose tied to the roof rack) \u2013 this car is more blazer and flannels, with Audrey in a twin set, cardigan over her shoulders. But that \u201948 and this Newport Coupe share a common if tenuous lineage in one respect; both are examples of Chrysler\u2019s illustrious woodies.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_39791.jpg” alt=”Side panel of the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3979%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Newport name used to designate fixed hard-top configuration<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Of course, the woody was and remains an American archetype, redolent with images of packing the family in and crossing the country to visit the national parks or going off on said hunting trips into misty pine-covered mountain ranges. Their appearance harked back to slower times, to a literal meaning of the term coachbuilding, when vehicles were handbuilt by craftsmen. Take a look at that \u201948 T&C sedan again, or the Packard Super Eight woody wagon of the same year \u2013 there is some serious panelling in evidence.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n By 1950, most of the decorative wood had been discarded. The Newport Coupe more implies its lineage of hand-crafted tradition \u2013 yes, you may raise an eyebrow \u2013 with a simple outline wood \u2018frame\u2019. It gives the car a warmer look. It\u2019s a little more informal; a tweed suit rather than double-breasted pinstripe. And when you parked up at one of the stout stone inns of Yellowstone park to unload, or even just at the golf club, that butterscotch-warm white ash, so beautifully curved with its expert dovetail joins, just helped to let everyone know that you paid a little bit more for carrying on that tradition.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_39041-scaled.jpg” alt=”Engine of the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3904%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The 5.3-litre Spitfire straight-eight delivery of modest but silky-smooth power suits the car perfectly<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Actually, you would have paid a lot more; the Newport carried a sticker price of $4007, several hundred dollars more than the top Cadillac and Lincoln coup\u00e9s of the year. The expensive Newport sold, but it was probably the last year that the market could accommodate such a product. Chrysler boss KT Keller\u2019s insistence that there should be enough room in his high-sitting cars for a gentleman keep his top hat on was a notion of a bygone age. The GM product was starting to move, perhaps imperceptibly in its cleanness of line and function towards the jet age or the rocket age\u2026 In this Chrysler, probably then as now, I\u2019m getting more of a \u2018great age of travel\u2019 vibe \u2013 a bit more Forties.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-quote-bold” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” text_font_size=”20px” text_orientation=”center” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m doing a lot of turning in relation to how many degrees the winged mascot traverses the horizon\u2019<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I\u2019m reminded of some of the great American magazine print ads from the likes of Packard and Hudson; families being waved away from large English-style country houses, everyone in the car wearing thick coats, hats and gloves. There\u2019s certainly room for that in here \u2013 none of yer \u2018change your shoes to drive a Caterham\u2019 rubbish. I could readily wear some pretty stout brogues and a long coat. Thick gloves \u2013 no problem \u2013 I would still easily grip the chunky controls, though I do value some elbow room (sorry Audrey) to handle that steering. On tight bends, maybe back in the Catskills, it can get a bit\u2026vigorous.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Actually, I\u2019m not totally sure how the steering connects. Like all big, sleepy barges there\u2019s a latency, that moment\u2019s thought before the front wheels begin to move. I seem to be doing an awful lot of turning in relation to how many degrees the winged mascot traverses the horizon. It\u2019s like the wheel merely actions a sign down in the steering room that tells whoever operates the system to make a turn. Right, left, ramming speed\u2026<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_39461-scaled.jpg” alt=”Back of the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3946%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” custom_margin=”-15px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Ash framework is non-structural; craftsmanship and rich varnish has allowed it to last decades<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n As I reach a series of shallow, uphill corners, I\u2019m reminded of my very limited experience of steering an ocean-going racing yacht; that turning of the wheel, hand over hand, and then the waiting for something to happen. You learn to begin the movement before the change in the road. It doesn\u2019t matter, because the Newport doesn\u2019t entice you into making a charge for the next bend, unlike that mischievous Dodge on the Carrera, you just settle into its way of travelling, planning a long route to take advantage of its inherent if quiet wanderlust. There\u2019ll be lots of stops \u2013 to look at the mountains still ahead and to simply sit and admire that \u2018Streamline Moderne\u2019 locomotive split windshield or all that sculptural chrome; a poetic manifestation of how the air moves across the car. In this rush-everywhere age, there\u2019s a lot of satisfaction to be found in that kind of travelling.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Chrysler didn\u2019t produce a convertible version in 1950. The steel-roofed coup\u00e9 was probably already a slight anachronism by the time it was made, though we can\u2019t feel that now. In total 698 were built; perhaps 80 survive. The T&C name passed on to a range of unadorned steel-bodied station wagons and then to a range of anodyne minivan\/people carriers. It brings a slight frown and a melancholy smile when you see one of those \u2013 with plastic wood panels on the side. If you\u2019re going to take a trip, to really travel, do it right.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/12\/Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_36411.jpg” alt=”Russell Morgan” title_text=”Chrysler_Town_and_Country_1950_Jonathan_Jacob_2021_com_JJP_3641%911%93″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-h4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_4_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”16px” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I\u2019d actually gone down to look for a Morgan,\u2019 says owner Russell Morgan, about how he came to meet the Chrysler at Historics\u2019 Ascot sale in 2021. \u2018I saw the Chrysler and I thought it looked amazing. I kept having to look twice.\u2019 He went on browsing the auction stock but kept coming back to the Chrysler.<\/p>\n \u2018I kept walking past this thing. I got quite giddy about it and I fell in love with it; the shape and the feel of the car.\u2019 So although he did return home with a car with a wood frame \u2013 of sorts \u2013 it wasn\u2019t the one he expected. However, on its first trip out back up in Lancashire, the Chrysler\u2019s brakes gave out. \u2018They suddenly locked on and didn\u2019t release. They were overheating \u2013 and they weren\u2019t cooling off.\u2019 Apparently the inside of the brake lines had deteriorated and clogged \u2013 and a new set was in order. \u2018The car actually has massive discs, set inside large drums,\u2019 Morgan explains. Once fixed, he was all set to get to know the car better.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s a great touring car, and of course all the windows come down \u2013 it\u2019s a proper pillarless coup\u00e9. It can be very open. For a 1950 car, it drives as well as my [Sixties] Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, though granted, with masses of roll in the corners. There\u2019s no power steering, but it isn\u2019t heavy, though there is lots of lock.\u2019 Unlike the Rolls, which he says gets largely ignored, the Town and Country gets lots of attention from other road users. \u2018At traffic lights, people wind down their windows and just go, \u201cWow\u201d.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”fp-h4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_4_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”16px” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Engine<\/strong> 5302cc sidevalve in-line eight cylinder, Carter dual downdraft carburettor [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ash to ashesBuilt for one year, the Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coupe was the last of marque\u2019s true \u2018woodies\u2019. We drive one in the UK, and we\u2019re stirred by its sense of wanderlustWords ROB SCORAHPhotography JONATHAN JACOBLook at that; that swathe of chrome, the way it rolls across the dashboard. I\u2019d opened the big […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":806,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"kschwarz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1047,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions\/1047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/classic-cars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Photography JONATHAN JACOB<\/strong><\/p>\nOWNING A NEWPORT COUPE<\/h4>\n
1950 Chrysler Town & Country Newport Coup\u00e9<\/h4>\n
Power & Torque<\/strong> 135bhp @ 3400rpm; 270lb ft @ 1600rpm
Transmission<\/strong> Four-speed Fluid Drive manual transmission, rear-wheel-drive
Steering<\/strong> Worm and sector
Suspension<\/strong> Front: independent, wishbones, coil springs. Rear: solid axle, semi-elliptical springs
Brakes<\/strong> Servo discs all round
Weight<\/strong> 1620kg (3600lb)
Performance<\/strong> 0-60mph: 23.7sec. Top speed: 86mp
Cost new<\/strong> $4007 (\u00a31431)
Value now<\/strong> \u00a327,000 approx.<\/p>\n