Firstly there are many projects that Rare Spares have under consideration, and often it is over 100 at any one time. Some may proceed and some are dropped or replaced with other items. It all revolves around getting good samples, finding a suitable supplier and agreeing to a tooling and item cost. It is not unusual for those outside of Head Office to not be aware of this listing as it is confidential until it reaches sample approval stage. This removes people being disappointed if a project doesn't continue for some reason.
As to the 8 months due this is possibly a "Chinese Whisper" or urban myth as it can take a couple of years for projects to go from start to finish.

For the HJ Fenders many people forget that years ago there were thousands produced and sold that were Made in Taiwan before the factory closed and the tooling totally destroyed. They also made the Quarter Panels, Ute Tailgates and Wagon tailgates.
I know of the destruction as I visited the factory during its production days and a couple of years ago met the original owners over dinner. They confirmed the tooling loss. Rare Spares alone imported many container loads of these and they all sold very quickly with NO returns or issues.

So this means that there are many cars around today that may have original GMH fenders fitted or think they are genuine. It is the same as the park lamp assemblies. Does this make them less original and how can you tell the difference today. After paint, dirt and years how do you know that your fenders are the ones fitted during assembly.