The Ford Aerostar was first released in 1985 with the 1986 model. This would be the first minivan that Ford would attempt to build and was also the company's first vehicle that would use the still in use alphanumeric pre-production code name system, as it used the code VN01. The minivan was a leap for the Ford motor company because no one yet knew exactly how long the minivan craze would last.
Initially the Ford Aerostar was offered with the Ford Lima 2.3 L engine, which was not nearly powerful enough for a seven-passenger van. Another option on the early Aerostar was also the 2.9-liter V6, which was underpowered as well. Luckily, later models of the Aerostar would offer either a corporate 3.0 liter V6 or an even more powerful 4.0-liter V6.
The Aerostar was set apart from other minivans of its time because of its use of a modified pickup truck chassis that was an integral part of its uni-body construction. The aerodynamic styling was very similar to that of the Ford Taurus that was put on the market at the same time. A correlation to the space shuttle was made time and time again during Aerostar advertising.
The Ford Aerostar was produced in St. Louis, Missouri since its beginning and stopped being produced in 1997 when the Ford Windstar finally replaced it after a three-year overlap. The Aerostar didn't receive many facelifts during its production, but it did receive flush mounted headlamps, a new dashboard and drivers side airbag, as well as column mounted gearshifts for the 1992 model. The Aerostar experienced decent sales through its entire run, but was finally discontinued as the Windstar became more popular.
