Rare 1953 Town & Country Chrysler Project $1,500

[B Jake Moran]

Shows 16 weeks old in Facebook, yet this JUST came up in my feed.  

Marketplace - 1953 Chrysler Town & Country | Facebook

 

1953 Chrysler Town & Country · Minivan · Driven 98,598 miles 1953 Chrysler town and country wagon. 331 Hemi that is seized up. Pretty solid car very little rust on body panels but you'll probably find some in floor I'll bet it nothing major. Hood is a little boogered up but could get to fit with some work or get another Hood. Pretty fancy interior in its day the rear seats fold down and shows i think mahogany wood floor cargo area just kool. No title will give bill of sale. Located in Mason city Iowa $1800 obo

[B Jake Moran]

These come on here from time to time and generally the reaction is good.  Very rare and expensive if restored and offered.  Arguably, there was only one match to the appearance and performance of a 1953 Chrysler Town and Country wagon - the Buick Estate Wagon which was still trimmed in real wood.  

But, by 1953 Exner started to have some influence on Chrysler styling.  The lower hood profile, subtle grille styling and long SW look made these an interesting car to restore and enjoy.  But clearly, having a 3rd year Hemi was also a good decision to restore and enjoy.  

[B Jake Moran]

[B Jake Moran]

If you wanted a station wagon in 1953, the odds were against your purchasing a Chrysler New Yorker. Oh, the New Yorker was an excellent choice, with its traditional outstanding Chrysler Corporation engineering, the universally respected FirePower Hemi V-8, and its restrained yet handsome styling. It's just that the New Yorker Town & Country was very expensive— with a base price of $4,077 versus a $3,254 starting cost for a Buick Roadmaster, or just $2,591 for a Mercury Monterey. Small surprise, then, that only 1,399 examples were produced (alongside 1,242 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country wagons, which utilized the 119-horsepower, 265-cu.in. Spitfire straight-six engine).

[B Jake Moran]

So, the buyer of a 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country wagon was likely someone: 1) financially comfortable, 2) who appreciated Chrysler's reputation for innovation, and 3) wanted a car more durable than the competition. Chryslers also had an informal tie-in with cowboy and rural culture in the public's mind. 

[B Jake Moran]

The 1953 New Yorker wagon had an advantage over its predecessors of 1951-'52 in that it was slightly more compact. The '53 line shared its chassis with the six-cylinder Windsor, resulting in a wheelbase that dropped from 131.5 to 125.5 inches and, in the wagon, a 195-pound weight loss, down to 4,260 pounds. The 1951 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country weighed 4,455 pounds and a mere 251 were sold.

[B Jake Moran]

Only Saratoga Town & Country wagons were produced for the 1952 model year, but for 1953 the whole Saratoga line was dropped. Or, more accurately, the Saratoga name was replaced with the New Yorker name, with a New Yorker Deluxe line taking the place of the old version. The New Yorker Town & Country was sold only in its namesake line, while the Deluxe variant was distinguished largely by the additional quality of its interior. The Town & Country received a unique vinyl interior with a reptile texture, something coincidentally echoed in the modern Laramie Longhorn Ram, which features alligator-texture inserts.

[B Jake Moran]

[B Jake Moran]

the designs have aged extremely well. They are far less ostentatious than the competition and the Virgil Exner-penned Chryslers that would replace them for 1955. They have a reserved and dignified air about them.

As Charles puts it, "Chryslers of this era have always been described by collectors as 'frumpy' or 'staid.' The popular story is that K.T. Keller, who was the head of Chrysler in those days, insisted that he be able to wear his hat while driving and the end result was that the cars were higher and not so sleek. Chrysler lost market share because its cars were plain, but in today's world their simplicity and lack of ornamentation makes them more attractive—I think kind of handsome. They're beautifully built and beautifully engineered. They're very solid."

[63RedBrier]

Sounds like you are trying to talk yourself into it, Jake!  I say, go for it!