In 1976, British marque Triumph proposed a vision of the year 2000, the XL90, which foreshadowed the modern MPV
The Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter or Kombi, or Microbus is the grandfather of all MPVs. After this Giugiaro’s New York Taxi, a project instigated by MOMA, is considered the origin of the modern MPV. The Lancia Megagamma deserves a mention, as does the venerable Renault Espace (before it recently became a crossover) which actually reached mass production. In America the Dodge Caravan, which had its origins at Ford, pioneered the format in the US at around the same time as the Espace in Europe (1984).
But an unusual and now forgotten concept from, of all manufacturers, Triumph, deserves a place in the history of the MPV too. Triumph is mostly remembered for its classic sports cars, although there will be some who remembered its Michelotti-designed saloons. But what Triumph proposed in 1967 as the car of 2000 was completely unlike anything the British public had ever seen.
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