Carsten Rehbein's site (http://www.cyclo-24.de/) has the following about Cinelli and Coppi:
"In 1947, Cinelli had his master frame builder, Maestro Vassasina, design a new type of frame for Fausto Coppi. The sloping Cinelli fork crown made a very stiff fork possible, and the Cinelli seat lug made a very stiff triangle possible. But the finished frame looked fragile, so Vassasina built a second frame with conventional parts and geometry. Coppi rode both and later decided to race the newer design. This was the first Super Corsa model. The rest is history."
It's worth noting that Coppi was only three years younger than Cinelli.
Mordecai Silver
NY, NY