The Ford Carousel (also spelled Carrousel
) is a prototype vehicle that was developed by
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
in 1973.
A derivative of the third-generation
Ford Econoline/Club Wagon, the Carousel explored a number of the concepts that 1980s American-market
minivans
Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
later put into production, serving as an alternative to both full-size station wagons and passenger vans.
Called a "garageable family van",
the Carousel featured
two-box design (as opposed to the one-box configuration of the
Volkswagen Microbus
The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially (depending on body type) as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US), Camper (UK) or Bulli (Germany), is a forward control light commercial vehicle introduced in 1950 by the G ...
) and three-row forward-facing seating.
Designed and styled by Dick Nesbitt (designer of the
Ford Mustang II
The second-generation Ford Mustang, marketed as the Ford Mustang II, is a two- or three-door, four passenger, front-engine/rear-drive pony car manufactured and marketed by Ford from 1973 until 1978. Introduced in September 1973 for model year ...
), the Carousel prototype was built for Ford by Carron & Company of
Inkster, Michigan
Inkster is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369.
History
The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans. It was settled by non-indigenous people in 1825. A post offi ...
.
Development
In 1972, Ford truck designers had begun final design work on the "Nantucket" design program, the codename for the 1975 Ford Econoline/Club Wagon.
While moving its engine several inches forward would increase passenger space significantly, the body height of most versions of the Club Wagon were to be nearly 7 feet tall, having only several inches of clearance through an average garage door opening; the increased size decreased the functionality as a personal vehicle.
In 1972, Lee Iaccoca directed the Ford Light Truck design studio to create a "garageable van" derivative of the "Nantucket" program under the "Carousel" codename.
Along with lowering the roof of the Club Wagon passenger van approximately one foot (to six feet tall, closer in size to the first-generation Econoline
), another design objective of the Carousel program was to give the vehicle more "automotive-like" styling.
For its marketing, "Carousel" was intended for marketing to buyers of full-size station wagons and passenger vans;
a production vehicle (a production name is unknown) would have slotted between the
Ford LTD Country Squire and the
Ford Club Wagon
The Ford E-Series (also known as the Ford Econoline or Ford Club Wagon) is a range of full-size vans manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for model year 1961 as the replacement for the Ford F-Series panel van, the E-Se ...
in terms of size and cargo capacity.
Overview
The Ford Carousel derived its chassis from the third-generation Econoline/Club Wagon (then in development) with a 124-inch wheelbase length (the standard wheelbase length for the Econoline from 1975 to 1987). The Carousel was styled with its own body, distinguished by a lower roofline. Lowered to a height of approximately six feet, the Carousel was designed with a height lower than the 6'4" Volkswagen Microbus. The Carousel prototype adopted its powertrain from the Econoline and the Country Squire, using a 460 V8 and Ford C6 3-speed automatic transmission.
The prototype Ford Carousel is a five-passenger vehicle; a flat-folding rear seat (to match the height of the load floor) was developed for the vehicle.
As part of its development, several interior configurations were designed, including two rear bench seats and side-facing perimeter seats.
To further attract buyers of station wagons, the roofline of the Carousel was styled with glass (in line with the mid-1950s Chevrolet Nomad
); the exterior was fitted with simulated woodgrain siding. Similar to a station wagon, the rear door of the Carousel was equipped with a tailgate and retracting rear window.
In line with the Club Wagon, the Carousel was equipped with front "captain's chairs".
As a prototype, the Carousel adopted components from other Ford vehicles, including its dashboard from the Thunderbird, interior elements from the LTD Brougham (along with wheelcovers).
Fate
In 1973, the Carousel had been fabricated into a running prototype ready for production approval, potentially for a 1975-1976 launch. While winning the support of
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
,
the Carousel faced internal opposition from other Ford executives, who feared that an unproven vehicle design would have potentially threatened sales of the (highly profitable)
Ford LTD Country Squire and
Mercury Colony Park
The Mercury Colony Park is an American Luxury car, luxury full-size station wagon that was marketed by the Mercury (automobile), Mercury division of Ford Motor Company between 1957 and 1991. Distinguished by its Woodie (car body style), simulated ...
.
After the 1973 energy crisis and the recession of the mid 1970s, Ford was forced to cut back on new vehicle development. In 1974, Henry Ford II called for the end of the Carousel program, as it did not replace any existing Ford or Lincoln-Mercury model line.
Epilogue
In 1978,
Lee Iacocca
Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca ( ; October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019) was an American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s, an ...
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
The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Currently in its sixth generation, the model line is marketed worldwide, primarily in North Americ ...
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
The Ford Aerostar is a range of vans that was manufactured by Ford from the 1986 to the 1997 model years. The first minivan produced by Ford, the model line was marketed against the Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari and the first two generations of the ...
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
Ford Ranger is a nameplate that has been used on multiple model lines of pickup trucks sold by Ford worldwide. The nameplate has been used for distinct model lines of vehicles worldwide since 1982 from the compact and mid-size pickup category.
...
light pickup truck. Foregoing the previous two-box design, in a design similar to the European
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
, 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
The Ford Windstar (later the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey) is a minivan that was produced and sold by Ford. The replacement for the Ford Aerostar, the Windstar adopted the front-wheel drive configuration of the Chrysler minivans. From the ...
and the
Mercury Villager
The Mercury Villager is a minivan that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford. The first of two minivans sold by Mercury, two generations were sold from the 1993 to 2002 model years. Competing against the Chrysler minivans and the General ...
(the latter built in a joint venture with
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
). 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
{{Ford Concept
Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
Minivans