Dating Model T from 1914

Local veteran car club here in Turku owns a original T Ford Model 1914. The vehicle no of the car is 308 553 and the engine serial no. is 494 938. Some T Ford owners have told us thet this Ford left the factory August/September 1913. Is it possible to tell the year of manufacture of these early Fords. Can we celebrate 100 year anniversary this year or do we have to wait till year 1914?

Best wishes

Juha Kaitanen

Turku, Finland

Engine number are used primarily. Your engine is April 10, 1914. But, many engines were changed out over the years. Both '13 and '14 only offered Touring, Runabout, and Town Car body styles. The Touring body on a '14 model has rear doors that are curved near the rear fender, and the '13 Touring model are angled. The '13 Runabout turtleneck had sharp rear corners and the '14 had standard rounded corners. Is there a body plate with that number on it? I have no record of body serial numbers. If the body is definitely a '13 style, then start celebrating. Maybe check with the Model T Ford Club of America.

Good luck.

Also the 1913 doors have square corners on the bottom, as compared to the rounded corners on the 1914. There is apparently some overlap of these bodies and their features during the model year production changeover. I do have the range of the body serial numbers but only for 1913,'14,'15. They start with the body number built for the first car produced in the model year and end with the last car produced. --Bob

Thank you for your replies. The body style is surely 1914. I was once told that new model was put into production after workers holidays - late summer/early autumn. So some of the 1914 Model T were produced in 1913. The body no. of the Model T is 308 553. There is a brass plate on the fire wall.

Juha Kaitanen

Turku, Finland