My French pal just sent me another photo of the engine bay, and mentions that there were no holes, or evidence that there were ever any holes for the cowl bracing in his sleeping beauty.
FYI , not assuming these photos are of a unmolested car, there are plenty of details that the owner is working on to bring the car back to an as-delivered condition.
PS: I wonder if those are Koni shocks, the tops look orange...
Z