Help identifying Campy Syncro shifters

[Anthony DeLorenzo]

I am building up a geared road bike and was looking for a set of
downtube shifters this weekend. I would prefer a nice set of friction/
ratchet shifters but indexing is OK too. Unfortunately, LBSes don't
stock any, so I hit up eBay and put in a hasty bid on these Campy
Syncro shifters:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150177354805&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT&ih=005

I'm not really up to speed on road bike stuff and I figured Campy, ya
can't go wrong... Except that after I bid I went looking around and
apparently these Syncro levers are supposed to suck. Oops. But
apparently they came out with a newer model that didn't suck as bad:
http://www.tearsforgears.com/2005/11/campagnolo-syncro-ii-shifters.html

>From what I understand, the original Syncro was 6-7 speed so this one
might be one of the Syncro 2, as it is advertised as 8 speed. Can
anyone tell by the packaging what year/model I might have bid on?

Also, can you run the Syncro shifter in friction mode? If so, then at
least I have a backup plan if the indexing doesn't work out for me.

Regards,
Anthony