No it there is not any "early 98.5", it is "early 1998", made in the spring of 1997, until August that year. In the normal fall 1997 intro, then the Contours were revised and refered to as "1998.5". Look in the FAQ section.
And no it is not unusual for early model years. Look at all the 2006 cars that will be at the Auto Shows this spring. In spring of 1997, Ford promoted their "new" 1998 Contours, including the SVT version.
