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Fairly or not, the Mustang "Illuminated Grille Medallion" is one of the most sought-after accessories for classic Mustangs, though most Mustang owners have probably never heard of, let alone seen one. Even when this $12.50 accessory was available over the counter, Ford did little to promote it -- released too late to be included in the official 1966 Accessory Catalog, the lamp's first public mention seems to have come as a footnote in the 1967 edition.
Like many other Ford accessories, the Mustang Grille Lamp may have been adapted from an aftermarket product, as two versions exist -- both apparently legitimate Ford pieces -- one with Ford markings in a FoMoCo box, and an unmarked version in a generic white box (the latter being far more common). To further confuse matters, the Ford grille lamp had at least two aftermarket competitors: a molded white plastic Grille Ornament and Running Light (a "horse-only" replacement from the same company who brought you the horsehead/horseshoe bumper guards), and the well-known Silhouette Safety Light, in clear or amber, which simply inserted behind the existing medallion. As owners began restoring their classic Mustangs in the late 1970s and early 1980s, demand for rare original Mustang accessories increased. Given the lack of public knowledge regarding the Ford Grille Lamp, it was only a matter of time before some enterprising individual would step in to fill the void with made-to-order "rarities." And so, as the story goes, sometime during the mid-1980's, advertisements appeared in Hemmings Motor News, from a person claiming to have located a large quantity of N.O.S. examples of the rare Ford Grille Lamp -- and offering them at fairly reasonable prices. In reality, the "newly discovered" lamps were nothing more than shoddily painted, vacuum-formed knockoffs, packaged with a poor quality copy of the original installation sheet. Once customers began receiving their merchandise, the con was quickly discovered and the ads were pulled. However, a supply of the lamps remained -- from January 1992 through July of that year, they were being advertised in Mustang Monthly (first as a classified, then in a photo ad) by a buyer who claimed he had obtained a large quantity of these "original" Ford Accessories "from the widow of a local Ford dealer." The counterfeits resurfaced frequently over the years, and now appear regularly on eBay. In some cases, the sellers are unaware the part is not a genuine Ford accessory; in other cases, they are well aware, but simply don't care to pass that information along to potential customers... Before handing over your hard-earned money for a "N.O.S" Ford Grille Lamp, pay close attention to the following: |
| Ford-marked Grille Lamp | "Generic" Ford Grille Lamp | Counterfeit 1 | Counterfeit 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
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