Ford Carousel

The Ford Carousel (also spelled Carrousel^[1]) is a prototype vehicle that was developed by Ford in 1973.^[2] While never produced outright, the vehicle explored a number of the concepts that the first American-market minivans (including the Ford Aerostar and the Chrysler minivans) put into production in the 1980s, becoming an alternative to both full-size station wagons and vans. Called a "garageable van",^[3] the Carousel included two-box design (as opposed to the one-box configuration of the Volkswagen Microbus) and three-row forward-facing seating.

Designed and styled by Dick Nesbitt (designer of the Ford Mustang II^[4]), the Carousel/Carrousel was completed for Ford by Carron & Company of Inkster, Michigan.^[5]

Development

In 1972, Ford truck designers had begun final design work on what would become the 1975 Ford Econoline/Club Wagon full-size van.^[3] Codenamed "Nantucket", the redesign was to make for significant increases in front seat interior room. A key drawback to the redesign was its increased height for those who used the Econoline/Club Wagon as a personal vehicle. As most redesigned versions were to be nearly 7 feet tall, the new van would only have several inches of clearance through an average garage door opening.

In 1972, Ford President Lee Iaccoca approved the expansion of the Nantucket project to include a third vehicle alongside the Ford Econoline series and Ford Club Wagon. Codenamed "Carousel", the new variant was set out to be a "garageable van".^[3][6][7] In place of the traditional commercial buyers of vans, "Carousel" was intended to be sold to the buyers of full-size station wagons and passenger vans;^[1][7] a production version would have slotted between the Ford LTD Country Squire and the Ford Club Wagon in terms of cargo capacity.

Overview

Using the 124.0 in (3,150 mm) wheelbase chassis^[5] that would be adopted by the Econoline/Club Wagon (as the standard wheelbase from 1975 to 1987), the Ford Carousel was given a complete exterior redesign, distinguished with a lower roofline. Lowered to a height of approximately 6 feet, the Carousel was given a roofline lower than the 6'4" Volkswagen Microbus. Sourced from the Lincoln Continental Mark III,^[5] a 460 cubic-inch V8 and a 3-speed automatic transmission powered the Carousel.

To attract potential buyers of station wagons, Ford stylists surrounded the rear roofline of the Carousel in glass (similar to the mid-1950s Chevrolet Nomad) and equipped the body sides with simulated woodgrain siding. Similar to a station wagon, the rear door of the Carousel was equipped with a tailgate and retracting rear window.^[4] For the interior, the Carousel followed the seating configuration of the Club Wagon: two captains' chairs with two bench seats.^[4] The Carousel prototype simulated a high trim level example of a production version (a potential "Squire" trim); alongside simulated woodgrain sides and LTD Brougham wheelcovers, the vehicle was equipped with many interior features shared with the Thunderbird and LTD Brougham;^[1][5] although based on the Club Wagon, the body design of the Carousel required the design of its own dashboard.

Fate

In 1973, the Carousel had been fabricated into a running prototype ready for production approval, potentially for a 1975-1976 launch. Inside of the company, the Carousel had won a great deal of support, including that of Henry Ford II.^[1] However, it faced internal opposition from other Ford executives, who feared such an unproven vehicle type would have potentially threatened sales of the (highly profitable) Ford LTD Country Squire and Mercury Colony Park.^[5]

After the 1973 energy crisis and the recession of the mid 1970s, the company was forced to cut back on new vehicle development. As the Carousel was not a direct replacement for any existing Ford vehicle, it was shelved.^[1]

Epilogue

In 1978, Lee Iacocca was fired from Ford; several months later, Director of Product Planning Hal Sperlich also left the company. Soon after, both executives were hired in similar roles at Chrysler Corporation. This would lead to the development of the Chrysler minivans for the 1984 model year. While the overall construction of the 1984 Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan would differ greatly from the Ford Carousel (in their basis upon the Chrysler K-car compact sedan), they would follow a similar two-box layout, marketed as family vehicles with smaller garage footprints than full-size station wagons.

At the same time Chrysler commenced minivan production, Ford revisited the idea of a garageable van for the first time. In 1984, the company revealed the Ford Aerostar for the first time; much like the Carousel, it was a prototype of an intended production vehicle. In mid-1985, the Aerostar commenced sales in production form.

While fuel economy had played a key role in the demise of the Carousel, it would become a major factor behind the design of the Aerostar. In place of the full-size van platform, the Aerostar shared many components with the Ford Ranger light pickup truck. Foregoing the previous two-box design, in a design similar to the European Ford Transit, the Aerostar used a one-box design with the hood and windshield sloped at a similar angle. After the 1997 model year, the Aerostar was discontinued; Ford had largely replaced by 1995 with the Ford Windstar and the Mercury Villager (the latter built in a joint venture with Nissan). The Windstar would largely follow the design set in place by Chrysler, adopting front-wheel drive and unit-body construction based on a car platform.

References