1947 Chrysler Town & Country

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys The Hershey Auction event, 7 - 8 October 2026.
Offered Without Reserve $250,000 - $350,000 USD

• Among the most famous of all Town and Country variants
• One of about 100 eight-cylinder Town and Country sedans built, and four known survivors
• Formerly owned by Bob Porter, Lloyd Mayes, and Jim Covert
• Well-preserved, high-quality restoration with virtually every available accessory
• Legendary in Chrysler circles for its equipment and quality
• A CCCA Full Classic

The Chrysler Town and Country was introduced in 1941, with an ash- and mahogany-framed body and hand-built using techniques more closely associated with fine wooden boat construction. It projected an image of affluence and leisure that increased traffic at Chrysler dealerships nationwide. The late-1940s sedan and convertible models, in particular, were considered elite symbols of social status among Americas wealthiest families.

Among the rarest production Town and Country variants is the eight-cylinder sedan. Most enthusiasts are familiar with the standard T&C sedan model, which was built on the six-cylinder Windsor platform. However, a vanishingly scarce number of cars, believed to have been about 100, were constructed on the top-of-the-line New Yorker platform, the same used for Town and Country convertibles. While visually very similar to six-cylinder cars, they enjoyed much-improved smooth performance, as well as no small measure of bragging rights for their owners something that is still true today.

The car offered here is, according to former owner and Town and Country authority Lloyd Mayes, one of only four original eight-cylinder Town and County sedans remaining in existence. It has a long, rich history in enthusiast hands, beginning with the late Bob Porter, a longtime driving force in the Town and Country Owners Club as editor of their Timber Tales magazine, who held this particular car in his collection for many years.

In 1990 the sedan was sold to Mr. Mayes, with 44,000 miles on the odometer. At one time, Mr. Mayes had the finest collection of Town and Countries in the world, including virtually every known body style and configuration produced, all restored to utterly splendid condition and shown extensively. Notably, at one time he actually owned all four surviving eight-cylinder sedans.

Dubbed Big Red by its proud caretaker, this was, in many ways, the flagship of the Mayes collection, driven enthusiastically for years while being maintained in excellent cosmetic and mechanical order. During his ownership, it was featured in several different publications, including the November 2001 issue of Cars & Parts.

In 2003 the car was sold from the Mayes stable to respected collector Jim Covert of Jupiter, Florida, who commissioned a fresh restoration. This included installing new mahogany panels in several locations but retaining the original wooden body framework and reupholstering the interior in correct materials. Afterward, Mr. Covert returned Big Red to the show circuit. It won its class at the 2004 Meadowbrook Concours dElegance and enjoyed a turn in Antique Automobile Club of America competition, achieving its First Senior Award and nomination for a National Award in 2005.

Michael Leith acquired Big Red in 2009, and it has now remained one of the centerpieces of his collection for 17 years. Well-maintained both cosmetically and mechanically, its restoration remains in fine order overall, with its rich leather and tartan cloth Highlander interior still in very good condition, as are much of its finishes, with only minor areas of wear at the shut lines. In particular, the wooden bodywork is utterly splendid, with a rich, warm patina not often found in many of todays overly shiny Town and Country restorations this one appears as they actually did when first built, testament to its excellent care by Porter, Mayes, Covert, and present ownership. Further it is amply and desirably accessorized, including the optional roof-top luggage rack, dual side-mounted MoPar spotlights, dual driving lights, sun visor, and Fulton Traffic Light Viewer.

Big Red is, simply, the king of Chrysler Town and Countries, a car built to one of the rarest and most sought-after specifications, one of only four survivors of its kind, and long beloved by enthusiasts who knew a high-quality Town and Country when they saw it. Offered properly sorted and ready for the road, it has been the king of every collection fortunate enough to host it, and will undoubtedly assume that same status with its new owner.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/hf26/.