CJ's 1992 Ford Aerostar (with Manual Transmission)
This Man Owns The Holy Grail Of Ford Minivans And It Is Absolutely Glorious.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota sits a minivan so rare, I have no choice but to refer to it as The Holy Grail. Yes, it looks like a normal Ford Aerostar, but trust me: It is more akin to a chalice filled with the elixir of life. I recently had a chance to see the glorious machine up close, and now I am a changed man. Here’s why.
I’ve become a bit of a connoisseur of rare, manual-transmission versions of common cars. Take the Holy Grail Jeep Grand Cherokee that I just can’t seem to stop writing about; Jeep only built roughly 1,500, and I’m about to own four of them (more on that later). I also used to drive a manual Saturn Vue, plus I own the Holy Grail of Chrysler minivans, a 1995 diesel manual Chrysler Voyager. I also nearly bought the Holy Grail of GM Minivans, a manual Pontiac Trans Sport with the beloved Quad-4 four-cylinder engine.
After my articles about Chrysler and GM minivans, you may be wondering if Ford had a minivan Grail of its own. The answer is yes, and for the first time in my life, I actually saw it with my own eyes.
It belongs to a man named CJ, a Union Pacific employee living in the Minneapolis area. “If you happen to have time to visit, or break down, near Minneapolis, MN let me know,” he emailed me last month upon hearing about my trip out west in my Land Cruiser.
(photo credit: David Tracy - Jalopnik)
