A Body 4 Speed Console

Well I have actually had 3 of these consoles over the years with the front that looks like it was cut. The first one i got was one that somebody put in a 73 charger so my immediate thought was that it had been cut. But over the years I pulled one from a 73 Dart Sport and a 74 Duster and they looked identical to this one. After talking with some other parts vendors they have ran across the same thing. One guy said he thinks some of the later models had these consoles? I have no clue. When in the car you cannot tell the front looks like that. It's possible that someone has cut all the ones I have seen, but I think it is possibly factory. The cuts all look the same, and they are very square cut, not like somebody took a hacksaw or something and butchered it up. Anybody have any input on this? Please respond