I don't know why the grips are finished that way, but they are correct for the era. I believe all T-series pistols had the red grips as well as the early C-series, but they were phased out as Browning changed, some say cheapened, the pistol over the next few years.
The early C-series is my favorite Hi-Power - it's just as good as a T-series, but unlike the T-series a guy can change of few things without offending the collectors and diminishing the value.
In 1961 the Hi-Power still had an internal extractor, which was replaced with an external in 1962. The 'pre T-series' 1962-64 pistols are also very nice. The T-series ran from 1964-69, the C-series from 1969-75, but there is a lot of difference between the early and later C-series.
