I have started a register for all 1971 build Marinas, for no real reason other than me being an early car anorak
So if you have a 71 build car, or if you know of one or any cars that you used to know of (whether they are still alive or have long since been scrapped) I would love to hear more details.
I have quite a few cars on the register already but I would like to get them in chronological order by chassis number, at the moment I only have registration dates for most cars and they bear no relation to when the car was manufactured.
Some 71 cars weren't registered until 72 (I know of one not registered until July 72!), the easiest way of telling a 71 car is by the windscreen wiper pattern which sweeps in the opposite direction to later cars
Early wiper pattern:
Later wiper pattern:
I believe the wiper pattern changed in November 1971 so your car may be a 1971 build even if it has the later wiper pattern, I need to work out roughly what chassis number the changeover was (but I can't do that without peoples' chassis numbers
)One outcome of this is being able to see what the earliest surviving cars are. At present they are as follows....
Coupes:
1.3 DL HPC 683K (Teal Blue)
1.3 SDL GPC 421J (Flame Red)
1.8 DL No 1971 examples known
1.8 SDL CAE 419J (Flame Red)
1.8 TC JRO 445K (Blaze)
Saloons:
1.3 DL FPH 441J (Bedouin)
1.3 SDL TDL 229J (Flame Red)
1.8 DL No surviving examples of any year known
1.8 SDL JHC 999J (Flame Red)
1.8 TC CAA 782K (Glacier White)
The oldest known surviving car is FPH 441J with chassis number 1498.
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) but the V5 and VIN plate live on and were last seen on a MK3 coupe