The first T-115 "Magic Wagon" -- or minivan -- comes off the retooled final production line at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, assembly plant on Oct. 7, 1983. The 1984 Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan, the auto industry's first minivans, went on sale in November 1983.
Chrysler Chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca formally dedicated the plant and drove the first ceremonial minivan -- a Plymouth Voyager -- off the line less than a month later on Nov. 2, 1983.
They were based on Chrysler's successful front-wheel-drive K car platform and offered a low step-in height, attractive fuel economy and what Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca called "garageable."
The novel little van combined a station wagon and a conventional van: The height was about 16 inches lower than Chrysler's standard van, 10 inches narrower and 21 inches shorter, so it fit easily into the majority of U.S. garages, which most vans did not.