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town sedan ??


John Reddie

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I am interested to find out if 1946 - 48 Chrysler and DeSoto cars were offered as town sedans as well as regular 4 door models. Below are the town sedan models that I recall:

1942 Plymouth - yes

1946 - 48 Dodge - yes

1941 - Dodge ( I think)

1942 - Dodge ( not sure )

1941 - '42 - DeSoto and Chrysler ( not sure )

Thanks for any info here.  John R

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49 minutes ago, John Reddie said:

I am interested to find out if 1946 - 48 Chrysler and DeSoto cars were offered as town sedans as well as regular 4 door models. Below are the town sedan models that I recall:

1942 Plymouth - yes

1946 - 48 Dodge - yes

1941 - Dodge ( I think)

1942 - Dodge ( not sure )

1941 - '42 - DeSoto and Chrysler ( not sure )

Thanks for any info here.  John R

1941 Dodge, guaranteed...I have one 

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Found images of 1941 and 1942 Dodge,  Chrysler and DeSoto Town Sedans on line. 

(I can see Mother Mopar wondering, why make a low-volume model, when we can't make enough cars of the usual models? 

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Greg................is that 1941 Town Sedan all stock bodied?............it almost looks like a 1940's Californian custom what with the smooth body and deep dark green paint...........beautiful...........and Tim.........any pics of your car?..............andyd.

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Possibility 1:  Ma Mopar calls up Briggs and says, "The war's almost over.  For the postwar Chryslers, DeSotos and Dodges, we're changing the chrome, reworking the doghouse, and we're flaring the front fenders into the doors. (And making the sedan back windows bigger).  Briggs says, "We've still got the prewar dies.  We'll tweak the front doors, and enlarge the back windows."  "Good to go. "Build us some bodies of each body style." They make a few Town Sedans, until Ma Mopar says "Let's concentrate on the regular sedans, which are selling like hotcakes."  

Possibility 2:  Enterprising builder says, "My '42 Chrysler Town Sedan is looking old.  I'll make it look like these new, postwar models.  I've already got the covered running boards, but I'll redo the chrome moldings, the tail lights, and add the new doghouse.  And I'll add the flair to the front doors."   But did he enlarge the rear window? 

I'm guessing Possibility 1 is the most likely. 

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16 hours ago, DonaldSmith said:

That black Chrysler Town Sedan has the post-war chrome strips, covered running boards, and front fenders flaired into the front doors.  So they must have made at least one 46-48. 

Don take a close look at the front seat and you will see another clue......there is a limo divider installed you can see the arch as the window is down, no town sedan ever came with a divider this was ordered by a chrysler vip as legend has it...dodge cab/town sedan on a new yorker frame.

48_Chrysler_Town_Limo_BY_05-MDB_06.jpg.e1e647a0d4e664d6c979f9a741fe932a.jpg

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Frank............do you do optometry as a sideline............lol................I suppose it would have been possible to do so long as you found a spare Town Sedan, spare 46-48 front clip and a spare set of doors with the fender stamping...........a couple of full oxy bottles, a few pounds of lead and plenty of red cordial and away you go.............lol..........nice cars either way............andyd      

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So, it looks like Possibility No. 3:  One-off for Chrysler executive.    

Now, I'm wondering how much Briggs had to do with prototypes and one-offs.  I suppose that for the Chrysler limo/town sedan, Briggs furnished the body complete with custom interior and limo divider, as they had the parts or could source them.  

I found photos in line for a 1942 Chrysler limo with a one-piece curved windshield. That probably was a one-off, something that Briggs played with, getting prepared for the future.   

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12 hours ago, DonaldSmith said:

So, it looks like Possibility No. 3:  One-off for Chrysler executive.    

Now, I'm wondering how much Briggs had to do with prototypes and one-offs.  I suppose that for the Chrysler limo/town sedan, Briggs furnished the body complete with custom interior and limo divider, as they had the parts or could source them.  

I found photos in line for a 1942 Chrysler limo with a one-piece curved windshield. That probably was a one-off, something that Briggs played with, getting prepared for the future.   

I've seen one too and it was an Imperial.

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I particularly like 1942 Chryslers, there were apparently 10 or 12 Windsor 4 door sedans imported into Oz at their release in late 1941 for Oz federal government use, as far as is known only 1 survives and I saw it many years ago in a NSW country town display, nice original condition, only 42 Chrysler I've seen in the flesh, from memory I think it had the Highlander upholstery .........makes me wish I'd kept the 1948 Windsor I had which was a similar deal to the 1942 cars here in Oz, one of a dozen or so government imports for official use..................andyd

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2 hours ago, DonaldSmith said:

That's the one (and maybe the only one). 

59bb23efaf955_1942ImperialLimo30curvedwindshield.jpg.af56517d4c15fe7ef7d32c3873f30e8b.jpg

Notice that the rear doors have their own locks, possibly keyed separately .... don't want the hired help getting into the good stuff. 

This restored 1942 Imperial Limo divider window car is in California.

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The complete list of town sedan models :

Plymouth - 1942 Special DeLuxe : 5,821

Dodge (Export - Plymouth body) - 1942 Special DeLuxe  : 55

Dodge - 1941 Luxuryliner Custom : 16,074

             - 1942 Custom : 4,047

              - 1946-1948 Custom : 27,800

DeSoto - 1941 Custom :  4,362

                - 1942 Deluxe : 291  and   Custom -:1,084

Chrysler - 1941 Royal :  1,277    -  Windsor : 2,704  -   Saratoga & New Yorker :  2,326  -  Crown Imperial Special : 894

                 - 1942 Royal :  73   -  Windsor : 479  -   Saratoga : 46  -  New Yorker :  1,648

                  - 1946-1948 Town & Country Six : 4,049  -  Town & Country Eight : 100

 

Plymouth and the Plymouth-based Dodge export models had their bodies built by Briggs, but Dodge bodies were built by Dodge at their Hamtramck plant and DeSoto / Chrysler bodies were built at Chrysler's Kercheval body plant on East Jefferson Avenue, across the street from the East Jefferson plant.   Special / low production bodies were contracted out to various body builders.  Chrysler bodies were trucked from the Kercheval plant across the street to the East Jefferson plant while DeSoto bodies were trucked across  town to the DeSoto plant on Wyoming Avenue.    Chrysler of Canada built their own bodies, but built town sedans only in 1941.

The 1941 Town Sedan is a Crown Imperial Special - basically a New Yorker town sedan with fancier upholstery and the Crown Imperial engine - 6.8 :1 compression ratio, aluminum head, 140 bhp.   Also note the Crown Imperial wheel covers. 

 

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