Ford Cortina KTO959E

Ford Cortina

• Uploaded by oxyman

Ford Cortina Mark 1 registration KTO959E parked on Windmill Road, Loughborough.

The old E registration suffix indicates the car was registered in the UK between January and September 1967. BUT the Mark 1 Cortina - this model - was replaced in October 1966 when the Cortina Mark 2 (which presumably had been coming off the Dagenham production line since the factory reopened after the 1966 summer vacation break) was announced.

So either this car sat around at the dealer's premises unregistered (possibly being taken out as a demonstrator only using red-on-white "trade plates") in the UK until 1967. OR this is not the original registration plate - eg if the car was originally registered in another country - eg Ireland - but was then reimported into the UK in 1967 and allocated a license plate that did not respect the original year of manufacture. OR it was assembled in a small satellite plant - possibly the Ford factory in Cork, Ireland, using pressings/components shipped from Dagenham where they had been stamped out before October 1966, but assembled later, then imported and registered in the UK. Or .. or. I'm sure there are other explanations available. But it's definitely a Mark 1 Cortina.

The front grill treatment (ie with the side lights squared off and integrated into the ends of the grill) and the extractor vents on the C-pillar (part of the much trumpeted through-flow ventilation) indicate that this car was produced AFTER the facelift announced for October 1964.

The uploader adds: "I also think this is a Mk1 Cortina, as the Mk2 have different headlights".