Possibly not the primary minivan, however a nod to family-first transportation.
That is an installment in a collection of posts trying again on present automobiles that we really feel deserved a bit of extra consideration than they bought. When you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Idea subject, please shoot us a line or go away a remark beneath.
Ford Carousel Prototype
First Seen
1973
Description
Passenger-van prototype
Gross sales Pitch
One thing to place between the Nation Squire station wagon, and Membership Wagon van.
Particulars
Rendered in 1973 by esteemed Ford designer Dick Nestbitt—creator of the hyper-popular Mustang II—the Carousel was conceived to serve households in search of one thing bigger and extra snug than a station wagon, however smaller and simpler to storage than a full-size Membership Wagon van. Then Ford President Lee Iacocca supported the “Nantucket Program” because the Carousel undertaking was internally named.
To include prices, the Carousel featured the dashboard of a Thunderbird, and lots of the inside components of the LTD Brougham. Although nowhere close to as small as coming minivans could be, the Carousel stood simply 6 toes excessive, absolutely a foot shorter than the Membership Wagon from floor to roof.
The Carousel was powered by Ford’s monumental 460-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8, backed up by a 3-speed automated transmission. To maximise cabin area relative to the Membership Wagon, the engine and transmission within the Carousel had been relocated additional ahead on the van’s chassis. And, regardless of its measurement, the Carousel was conceived as a 5-passenger van, which possible left loads of area for cargo.
As destiny would have it, Iacocca was booted from Ford in 1978, and assist for the Carousel projected pale. Iacocca famously landed at Chrysler, the place he dropped at life the “Ok-Automotive” compact automobiles, and the new-for-1984 Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager minivans, little doubt the religious successors to the stillborn Carousel. And, because the Carousel was a prototype and never an idea automotive, the automobile was by no means seen at an auto present or different public occasion.
CG Says
Whereas the Carousel was certainly novel in idea, it was not the primary minivan, and there’s completely no certainty that it will have bought effectively.
The Carousel was a lot bigger than the approaching Chrysler minivans, plus, it’s huge engine would have made it a fuel guzzler, and its rear-drive design meant that it sat increased off the bottom than many households would possible have favored.
Timing, too, was working towards the Carousel. Gasoline costs had been on the rise, and big inflation—and associated excessive rates of interest—seen towards the tip of the Seventies would have made for a really rocky product launch.
We love the look of the Carousel, and the fashionable open-cabin glass design would have, certainly, made the van a superb long-trip conveyance. Click on right here to see extra Forgotten Ideas.
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Ford Carousel Footage
(Click on beneath for enlarged pictures)
Forgotten Minivans: Greater than 30 Minivans You Don’t Bear in mind (Footage and Historical past)