I think the E4 was the first to use it.
It was a nice surprise to find the logo on the frame. Most E4 frames i have seen have been painted so maybe the recipiants were unaware of them.
Will look good polished but remember to wax it with the best you can buy , then it will retain some of its shine for longer
As regard shimming the forks, I have done this on cannondales 1 1/4 down to 1 1/8 of past with no issue, so cannot see why you could not shim 1 1/8 to 1 " , in fact I think I have some of these in the spares box if you decide to go for it.