That is definitely a 7, not a / or a 9. This means one of a few things:
1. The front apron was changed out with one belonging to a coupe(this seems very unlikely since it would be far easier to replace with a new piece...even back when you could still get the parts through Ford directly. It would be unlikely someone is going to use a used panel to repair accident or rust damage...but possible)
2. This car is a coupe-to-fastback conversion and is using the door tag from the fastback(also seems fairly unlikely, not too many floating around)
3. There is something nefarious with the car(IE stolen, chop-shop, etc)
Whichever the case, it merits further investigation before purchase.
1. Check underneath the front fender...see if the area with the coupe VIN shows any sign of being welded in from underneath.(unlikely, but worth checking)
2. Is this a 4 lug or 5 lug car? Its a possible indication of which is the correct VIN(but also not a sure thing since
suspension can be changed out easily)
3. Check the other VIN on the passenger side rear apron(its usually harder to see and far less likely to have been tampered with in the case of funny business)
4. Climb under the car and see if it has factory dual exhaust hangars....which is an indication of a v8 car(better to check under the rear seat for the reinforcement plates...but not something most sellers would let you do.)
To be sure, there is some type of discrepancy here, but without that 3rd VIN its hard to tell for sure what the case is. Maybe you are right, maybe whoever "replaced" the front fender apron just wanted to use original metal, but what you are really looking for is any sign of a factory v8 car vs the I6 the door tag says it is
