Ok so have an opportunity to get this mid 80's Masi Prestige for nice price. Has campy RD, shifters, Mavic rims, signature on stem, looks to be mostly original but what is throwing me is the lettering on the downtube. Looks to be AIANAN. Have to look at it better, only got a sneak peak. Pic is not of good quality. Anyone ever seen this model or name on the down tube before?

Can't see anything in the picture, it looks like 50x50 pixels. Can you post a normal size picture?

It is a 50x50, best I have at the moment. It has the same yellow stickers as the ones that spell out Masi. I haven't seen this on any pictures of any other Prestige's. Sorry get better pics tomorrow.

This is what I was wondering about. Could be just something added through the years by previous owners...

That is a huge frame does it fit you?

Maybe a subordinate sponsor to an amateur team in Europe?
These Prestiges were never imported in any great quantity, and most are considered "grey" market imports to the USA.
That is how mine came in.

Paint on these bikes is terribly fragile.

Paint is chipped but is cleaning up and the yellow accents are so cool. Has shimano FD which I know is not right, but everything else is Campy. Serial # is 795, so trying to decipher that for correct year, maybe
May 1979?

Haha, it has too! If not I'm sure we can find takers!

I heard that they used grape peel pressing juices mixed with olive oil to paint 80's Italian bikes.......and the graphics are just dried up gelato in different flavors....

Most of the Prestiges I have seen have a Build code and size stamp, such as M58 for a Milano 58 cm; center to tip top for example and a smaller set of numerics like 795 wold be indeed the year then month.

When one sees the seat post buried so far into the frame… it appears sold by a Schwinn shop of yesteryear, the bigger the bike the bigger the man.

The silent truth of owning an 80's Italian bike. Maybe so you would buy another one soon?