Surf’s Up! 1962 Chrysler Town And Country
This 1962 Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country station wagon looks like a cross between a Good & Plenty and a Pink Panther ride. The seller suggests that this Granada Hills, California resident is a rare surf wagon – one of only 728 assembled. It is an attention-getter, that’s for sure and it’s available, here on craigslist where it can be yours for $12,295.
My research validates the claim of this car being just one of 728 but that’s only the six-passenger station wagon edition – there were another 793 nine-passenger variants; still, this four-door hardtop design is a rare bird. Pink, not surprisingly, was not this New Yorker’s original hue, it was Coral Grey with a white roof. The finish, as is, presents pretty well and the body seems to be mostly sound other than a dent in the right side quarter panel and some sort of boo-boo marring the tailgate. The chrome still has depth and all of the, I imagine, unobtanium stainless trim is still attached. The seller sums it up by stating, “It’s a vintage car that has been sitting and needs attention“.
A 340 HP, 413 CI V8 engine, in working form, delivers forward momentum while a push-button activated TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission provides the rear wheel connection. The seller does claim it, “starts and runs” and suggests, “Easy to make a daily driver with basic mechanical skills“. The engine image isn’t too revealing though it all appears original, except for the inclusion of the metal case fuel filter. The odometer reads 47K miles and it is stated that the odometer has been once around so there’s something to consider.
The interior seems to have fared worse than the exterior as the two-tone seating upholstery has seen better days as has the dashpad – multiple cracks. The seller mentions that the carpet has been removed, making it easier to assess the condition of the floors, but the sectioned headline is still intact and not sagging, a problem that afflicts Mopars of this generation. The big news here is this car’s dual-zone air-conditioning system – I didn’t know such a thing was an option so many years ago. What’s not said, however, is whether it actually operates. The way back cargo area, said to accommodate a 4×8 sheet of plywood, is in rough condition and could really use some attention.
So yes, this could be a surf wagon, a cruiser, a hot rod, or even a stock restore if so desired and within one’s financial reach. The joo-joo eyeballs of this generation Chrysler used to set me off but I must admit that over time, I have come to appreciate the look – it is definitely beyond the realm of what most other manufacturers were presenting in ’62. And, being a Chrysler wagon, as opposed to the usually covered Ford or Chevy makes this in-the-pink multi-purpose Mopar notable, wouldn’t you agree?
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Comments
The Pepto-Bismolmobile!
That’s pretty much exactly what I was going to say. It’s hideous! I like Shell Pink on certain 50’s cars, but this one looks ridiculous.
Spot on pepto pink for resal. I’d drive it every time I had an upset stomach.
Chrysler had some weird front ends but also some of the best rear ends on wagons with wild windows..”wwww’s. I can’t take the Pepto Bizmaul color but hope it gets save, maybe by a Mary Kay salesperson?
Wow, ugly but lovable, and may be the only one left, certainly of any in such nice condition. Factory A/C and power windows, it’s really neat. I’d polish everything, fix what was needed, and enjoy it for what it is.
It was probably Rex Reed’s or Paul Lynde’s —given the color.
Way overpriced IMHO. Terrible colour and ratty interior, yep.
It needs a paintjob and a new interior.
It’s really fugly, too.
Somehow I like it though.
And I’ll bet it’s a good ride suspension wise.
Bob
Looks good in pink and white
Torque Thrusts or even Borranis (if poss), try to match the upholstery (gotta be some left somewhere), wood on rear deck and Bob’s your uncle!
I always thought the Chrysler designers were involved in Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests, when they came out with these early sixties cars.
Gosh, this rare bird has all the options, PS, power brakes, AC and dual at that. I’ve never seen a New Yorker Town and Country wagon 4 Dr HT like this one. Redoing it’s interior will be nearly as expensive as a repaint, but the body is rust free and very straight for this year Mopar. It’s a shame people can’t repaint these classics back to their original colors. Good find.
Id have to repaint it before i could drive it home
Mama Mia! A land yacht without a doubt. Without question Porky Pig Pink, places it smack dab in the potential marketing box for a Barbie commercial. Best buyer for this car is the Matel Toy Company. Give their marketing wizards a phone call, you might get a remarkable price for it. Don’t wait, the Barbie market is at its peak.
A Mary Kay wagon!
Love the car…hate the color.
Mrs.Pink Panther’s Grocery Getter for sure! Would be great in the original grey and white colored option with a blown Hemi on nitro Pro Mod style with double parachutes 🪂 on the back on a different chassis so if you want to put it back to original the only thing you would need to do is weld back the rear floor pan for the Big Slicks lol 😝
Owned one of these in 1966, minus the pink bottom paint. The rear AC was overhead and did a good job cooling the kids in the back seat. My wife got rear ended by drunk while stopped in front of our house waiting to pull into our driveway. Pulled the motor and trans, bored it to 426 and put it in a Willys. Fun times drag racing it.
All black (exterior) would cure it.
If a surf wagon, where’s the roof tie-down rails? NOT the kind of vehicle you see on Beach Boys album covers!!!
Don’t always need a surf rack, you put it inside, hence the need for a wagon. If you took a bunch of people for gas money you break out the racks for the extra board storage.
I really wish these people that want to sell their cars(vehicles) would take a little time for better and more photos. Obviously, not being a Cadillac, I’m not interested but Chrysler products had very interesting dashes. I enjoy looking at them.
I have to agree with you, Cadillac Kid, the early-mid 60s Chryslers had interesting and “space age” dashboards.
This wagon would look so much better in a pale pink rather than this in your face pink.
Considering it’s condition, I think it’s doable. But I have to agree again, priced too high.
I think Mopar and maybe even GM had a Desert Rose color that was more attractive than this color is. That with a white top would really pop.
These are fabulous cars. I have driven a few.I almost bought a red and black version of this back in the 80s. A full optioned version, even more than this as it had cruise, light dimmer and so on. It had one major issue, a dash fire. I passed knowing I would likely never find a complete ac dash along with all the other stuff that had been destroyed. This is priced reasonably. I have seen a few in recent years do twice as much but the color is a draw back. You can get away with pink on late 50s rides to a degree but not on this.
My folks bought one in 1962 in Arctic White. Some additional details that makes this car unique is the electroluminescent instrument cluster behind a quarter sphere (we called it the Moonmobile because it was so futuristic. It also had cruise control via a knob to set the speed, and an AM radio with a seek function on the radio and also on the floor next to the high beam switch. I impressed a few dates having them wave their hand in front of the radio and surreptitious pressing the floor button. The rear view mirror was on the dash due to the rear air conditioning box, and the dash had these movable clamshell diverters for defrost and heat that were irresistible for us kids to play with. The front bench seat was six way electrically operated, and the rear seat folded forward and the backrest down to form a true flat floor. It was the perfect camping companion. Ours had a chrome roof rack and dad built a box to fit that came in handy when we drove from California to Alaska and then back to Seattle. The car lives on with a collector in Norway.
What can one say? Given the Exner styling, pink oddly seems appropriate, but that’s just me. Do my eyes deceive me or was Chrysler saving money by using leftover 61 Plymouth rear sheet metal?