I gotta agree with you on that! About 2 years ago there was one of those trim panels in a junk yard I went to and it was out in the open and in pristine condition. My buddy pointed it out and I said nobody wants them.
I like my 75 (no panel between).
I like all the years/styles, but painted stripe scheme in between can make a huge diff in appearance. That along with the color of the car - light or dark colors also make some look great - or very wrong.