The Ford Mustang and the minivan have an amazing shared history (FCAU)
FCA
In late 1983, the first minivan rolled off out the factory at Chrysler. The Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan transformed mobility for the suburban American family.
Today, the minivan is a staple of the American suburban landscape. But just a couple of decades ago, the idea of a van with the driving dynamics of a car was truly revolutionary.
At its peak in 2000, automakers sold nearly 1.4 million minivans to American families. Although the crossover SUV has taken over as the sales leader for the family-car market, there are still plenty of buyers that prefer the utility and car-like driving experience of the minivan.
Here's how the minivan came to be. Remarkably, it shares some history with the iconic Ford Mustang!
In 1974, Ford president Lee Iacocca and a team of engineers headed by Hal Sperlich saw the need for a front-wheel-drive, car-based family van.
A decade earlier, both Iacocca and Sperlich helped lead the creation of the Mustang.
Sperlich's team concocted a special prototype van. Since Ford didn't have a front-wheel-drive platform on which the van could be built, they instead used a chassis and engine from Honda.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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