Called a "garageable family van",[3] the Carousel featured two-box design (as opposed to the one-box configuration of the Volkswagen Microbus) and three-row forward-facing seating.
In 1972, Lee Iacocca directed the Ford Light Truck design studio to create a "garageable van" derivative of the "Nantucket" program under the "Carousel" codename.
[4][8] 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[9]), another design objective of the Carousel program was to give the vehicle more "automotive-like" styling.
[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[4]); the exterior was fitted with simulated woodgrain siding.
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).
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.
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.