Front Valance mystery

[Air2air]

Maybe this is obvious to you guys but it's been a head-scratcher for all my buddies. 

In the pictures my '62 is the red one with a new white valance.  While prepping I noticed that the center section curves up and in.  It must be factory; it's not a hack job roll. 

However I've never seen another car with it - they all go straight across the bottom as you see on the white and yellow cars.  All the guys I know say the same thing.  Tonite I googled and googled and came up with only one car that has that same curve; the one on the rotisserie.

You guys ever seen this before?

[John Gervais]

Oooo, I want one!  I can't contribute anything worthwhile regarding the heritage of that valance, but I really wish mine was like that.

I've got a bad habit of placing a thick rubber block under the forward lip of the sumpguard (where it's bolted to the front of the subframe) and lifting for jackstand placement.  Well, about 2 months ago, the rubber block crumpled the lip as it drew up the face of the sumpguard into position. 

It looks like the bottom lip on yours gives a small amount of extra clearance to the gearbox/front subframe, possibly to accommodate the factory tool jacking block.

[Air2air]

Hmm...yeah I suppose it could be something as simple as that, just that it's a nicely rolled radius, i would expect a crease or something.

Again that blue car on the spit sort of appears to have the same thing otherwise I can't find it anywhere else...

[John Gervais]

Sure is cool though...

If I'm lucky enough to get to the garage next week, I should have my camera with me (need to take a picture of armycook's repro rally plate), so I'll snap a picture of my creased valance lip.  It's nasty, and I should bend it back again before it rusts. 

[MiniDave]

Looks to me like it went over a parking curb and flattened it out, that caused the center to bow upwards.....I've also never seen one in a factory picture that looks like that.