Not at all - these were written references in the factory price list when I was involved in importing Merckx frames into New Zealand in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I recall the designations well because we continued to order frames with EM80 decals even though the EM86 style was available - we, especially me, thought they looked better! We did switch to ordering EM86 style before too long because that was used on pro team frames which of course became what most customers wanted… EM86 was certainly the default style from 1986 and certainly would have been supplied unless an exception was specified by the customer.

Whenever I see race number braze-ons put forward as evidence an Eddy Merckx frame is an old pro team frame I always smile a little - the race number braze-on was simply a factory option for any frame at an extra cost of a maybe 15-20 Belgian francs and could be ordered by any importer/distributor/customer. I think we selected the option for almost all the frames we imported because it made them look “pro”.

Memory fades after 30-35 years and unfortunately I never held onto old factory export price lists, but the above at least I still remember pretty well…