They say if one ignores history it is bound to repeat itself. Did anyone learn anything from the Retina IIIc/IIIC confusion? Of course not! That's why we have the Canon F-1n/F-1N confusion!!
Look at the accessories for the "New F-1". You have a Data Back FN, Motor Drive FN, NiCad Pack FN, Speed finder FN, AE Finder FN, etc. Does anyone besides me see a pattern developing here? If you showed a random group of people a list of these FN accessories and asked them what was the model camera they fit, why do I have the feeling most of them would say "FN"! O.K.
So why not call it an FN-1 and avoid the confusion? Since the official name is "New F-1" you could even call it an NF-1. Someone decided that keeping the F-1 undisturbed overrode other considerations. O.K. again. When the Canon FT was updated it became the FTb. So why not a Canon F-1b? Because, it appears, confusion was preferable to any of the alternatives! Go figure. (Your opinions may vary.)