Sounds like a real classic. I suggest you try a Nitto Technomic stem instead of the handlebar flip. It'll keep the bike looking like less of a freak show, and it's pretty cheap.
Because a lot of those old TT bikes were made to be used with bullhorns, they have very low front ends. When riders started using aero bars, a lot of them had to use very high-rise stems to get the bars up high enough. So a high stem wouldn't look too out of place.