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Ok, here is something to ponder, first picture is from a very early, maybe a September or October 40 V8 coupe, a close-up picture of the grille half . note raised Ford 01A part number with suffix A in the pot metal casting of the rim and the vertical bars appearing to be folded sheet metal.
The second picture is of left side half of one of my NOS grilles. I knew the previous owner of my V8 coupe who told me he bought those new grilles in 1957 from a dealership after he got the car I now own. note raised Ford 01A part number also WITH suffix A with cast vertical bars and the horizontal stiffening is also cast.
You may have to enlarge or zoom in to see the details.
We will probably never know the answer as to how that unusual grille made it out the door but perhaps it was a prototype or something that changed really early like the "skirtless 33s" which actually did get out into the public. It certainly was made by Ford.
In 2014 at the Western National Meet at LA where I took my 40 station wagon to be judged, Larry Caplan invited me over to his shop to see his collection of something like 18 40 Fords. It was there I saw this VERY early car and got to see the 40 station wagon he was working on.