The Ford Aerostar was Ford’s first minivan, introduced for the 1986 model year.
Ford designed the Aerostar as a compact van for families and commercial users. It was built on a dedicated rear-wheel-drive platform and used a cab-forward shape that gave it more passenger and cargo space than a conventional station wagon. Ford offered both passenger and cargo configurations.
The Aerostar entered a market created largely by the success of the Chrysler minivans. Unlike Chrysler’s front-wheel-drive vans, the Aerostar retained rear-wheel drive, which helped with towing and commercial use but made its floor higher. Engines included four-cylinder and V6 options during its production run.
Ford later added the front-wheel-drive Windstar as a more direct rival to Chrysler’s minivans. The Windstar did not replace the Aerostar immediately; both models overlapped for several years. The Aerostar ended production in 1997, after Ford had built more than two million examples.