Ford Carousel

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.

Codenamed "Carousel", the new variant was set out to be a "garageable van".[3][6][7] To meet the objective, the roof height was to be lowered nearly one foot, with its exterior footprint more closely matching the original matching that of the 1961 Econoline.[8] At approximately six feet in height, the Carousel was slightly lower than the 6'4" Volkswagen Microbus.

For its marketing, "Carousel" was intended for marketing to buyers of full-size station wagons and passenger vans[1][7]; a production Ford Carousel would have slotted between the Ford LTD Country Squire and the Ford Club Wagon in terms of size and cargo capacity.

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 shared its powertrain from the Econoline and the Country Squire, using a 460 V8 and 3-speed automatic transmission.[5]

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.[5] As part of its development, several interior configurations were designed, including two rear bench seats and side-facing perimeter seats.[2] 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.[4] 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).[1][5]

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. However, it faced internal opposition from other Ford executives, including that of Henry Ford II.[1], 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]