No, I don't believe he was saying that. The Campagnolo Lambda entry on Velobase says the Lambda Strada rim was first available in 1987. It sure looks like a 700c tubular rim (622mm) to me, not 27" (630mm) clincher. Maybe there was also a clincher version, but in '87 I doubt Campy would have made a 27" clincher rim; it would have been 700c.

Kurt can speak for himself, but the way I read post 28, he was saying he thought the rear derailleur and the rims were put on later, probably at the same time.