Ok - I have owned two Nuovo Records and never had trouble shifting them but I was not a bike racer and under race pressure I cannot answer. They were ok derailleurs and classic for their time. But there are better things out there now and, to me, that is the answer.

Technically you have me on a design detal and the Rally was Campy's answer to the Shimano Crane, but not understanding how what you are proposing would function as a slant parallelogram.......

To say you have *heard* something shifts like crap is a lot different than actually having owned and shifted them and making your own opinion. I think in light of what else was out there at the time, the Campy's were pretty ok. I think maybe folks who grew up with index shifting may not have the feel for the old downtube friction shifters.