That would be one probable use but would question why anyone would tie a car to the sheet metal. Maybe the previous owner stored the car outdoors and installed these to secure a tarp. I've never seen them before myself.

Is it the original paint on the fenders? These add-ons don't appear factory but determining if the paint is original should tell you.

And I had a nagging question about my fender and gas door emblems. Your pics reminded me that I wanted to post a question but I'll do that by beginning another thread - see Nash's "accidently hijacking" thread