patipatina is the place to find vintage steering wheels for sale from my collection and a lot of information about different models. From the preproduction 380mm Momo Montecarlo to the Momo Prototipo, Momo Monza, Momo Sebring, Momo LeMans to many others: production years, diameters, sizes, colours, leather, stitching etc. And to check out my personal steering wheel collection. Feel free to make offers on the vintage steering wheels you find here. But it’s not only about Momo Steering Wheels, also about Abarth Steering Wheels and the legendary Kremer Porsche Steering Wheel. And my garage, my vintage Porsches, the projects and the tools & tips that go with it.
Articles about Tools & Tipps have moved into the Tools & Tipps section, articles about my Garage and the current 911 project into the Garage section.
After the last article I got a lot of questions regarding Leather Steering Wheels.
Leather Steering Wheels don’t need such an intense cleaning due to the more closed surface of the leather. But the much bigger part in maintaining a Leather Steering Wheel is keeping the leather smooth and soft.
Well, that’s a good question. Here’s my secret which is – in fact – not a secret but the result of 5 min thinking.
Did this procedure a few times and it just works brilliantly. Without one of the many special suede steering wheel cleaners that promise a lot but do not hold anything. Everything you need for this DIY Cleaner, you might have at home already.
Another OPSW – one with an error stamp on the back.
Is it real? What does that mean? A fellow steering wheel mate from Down Under was curious and asked for help. Luckily I could help, with another mates help! Read all about it!
OPSW – Other peoples steering wheels.
BMW 2002 – the ultimate driving machine
The idea to restomod a BMW 2002 is not new, of course not. Guys have been doing that for years, decades. To do that myself is not new either.
And when I learned that my buddy Oliver is working on such a machine up there in San Francisco, I pricked up my ears.
Collecting Momo Steering Wheels always goes along with collecting the respective Momo Horn Button. At least most of us aficionados have to have the matching Momo Horn Button. Sometimes it’s even harder to find the button than the respective Steering Wheel.
Some of the Momo Horn Buttons are mass production, some are really rare collector pieces.
In most cases, a Porsche garage is not just a place to park a car. It is a place to relax, to relax after a long and hard day. A place where the history of one of the most exciting family businesses can be experienced and felt.
Often a hodgepodge of memories, memorabilia from days long past that tell of racing history. Posters, badges, trophies, old worn steering wheels.
It’s probably just a collectors thing: if you look at the front of this steering wheel, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about it. Just a normal Momo Jackie Stewart Steering Wheel.
But take a look at the back! You will encounter something you don’t see every day.
Classic cars are like clocks, guitars, cameras, old jeans, shoes – the traces that tell from their lives make them so interesting for so many people. Patina is what results from normal use and normal aging. Leather that rubs off, dials of watches that turn yellow, paint that fades or cracks under the sun.
But what does that really mean – patina? And what’s the story behind all that?
OPSW – Other peoples steering wheels.
A lot of people ask questions about steering wheels they have, model, age, history and significance. Until the other day I just replied and answered all the questions. But then I thought – why not share this with anybody? This article is about John and his Momo Virgilio Conrero.
Even though we’re celebrating one year of patipatina.com today, I seem to have missed out on some steering wheel basics. I’d like to make up for that today.
So here it is, the ultimate guide to steering wheels: all about diameters, grip sizes, materials, dish, hub adapters, spacers, quick release kits, bolt patterns and much more.
The Momo Gilles Villeneuve Signature Steering Wheel is based on a design which Momo used for a number of steering wheels.
For the Momo 5C, a number of Volvo Steering Wheels, the Ferrari Dino Steering Wheel and the Momo Jacky Ickx Steering Wheel. Same same but a horn pad – pretty much.
Is a period correct steering wheel overrated? Of course not! I couldn’t put a brand new steering wheel in a 40+ yr old car. For your convenience I’ve added the production year into the database so it’s a lot easier now to find a period correct Momo steering wheels for your classic car.
A lot of collectors that I know started somehow with the Momo Signature Series and I am one of them. I bought all I could get my hands on 15-20 years ago.
This one here is a very very rare version from the famous Momo Signature Series: the Momo Niki Lauda Steering Wheel in the 370mm diameter version.
Do I need more than one steering wheel? The question was a little different: Why the hell do you have so many steering wheels? Well, I need at least one for each car.
But do I need more than one steering wheel? I would say yes, one for every purpose.
So what is the best Momo Steering Wheel for every purpose?
I still get tons of emails with questions about the Momo Signature Steering Wheel Series. I am trying to answer at least 95% of these questions with this article.
Which Steering Wheel was the first / the last / the rarest / the most common of the Momo Signature Steering Wheel Series?
Every now and then a very special Steering Wheel comes along.
I wasn’t really looking for a Montecarlo Steering wheel. The wheel found me. And I would like to share the story with you. The story of the first pre-Momo Steering Wheel, still hand-made, that has been sold to the general public. Rare, really rare. Some say it’s the holy grail.
A few people asked my what the sometimes cryptic engravings on the Momo steering wheels mean (if at all) or what years the steering wheels are coming from, where no production years have been engraved. Well, most interestingly, there is no official information about it. No one alive really knows but I think we’re pretty close with this.
Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers
Lots of them. Finally they are here. I do like stickers, sure you do like stickers, everybody likes stickers.
This vehicle may not fit in the dream garage – or maybe it does. A piece of contemporary history – for Volkswagen and the Deutsche Bundespost. Volkswagen from it’s beginning has always produced special vehicles for the Deutsche Bundespost, but never as remarkable as the Volkswagen MK2 Postgolf.
What is a dream garage anyway? Fantastically located, fantastically large, fantastic cars? Not so easy to answer. Still, I found it. A few weeks ago when I was visiting a friend.
Where can you find something like this? Not in California, not in New York or Boston, not even in Europe. No, in the heart of Thailand, in the land of smiles, in the middle of Bangkok.
In addition to Momo’s actual product range, Momo also made special steering wheels for car manufacturers. The most well known ones are certainly the steering wheels for Ferrari, Lotus, Porsche, Alfa, Alpine – and of course Abarth. But the also made wheels for smaller companies like the Italian coach builder Scioneri.
For me, a steering wheel is really something very special.
It is the only real connection of the driver with the car. The only connection that gives direct feedback. If I steer strongly, the car responds to it. If I steer too hard, the direct connection will come to an end.
Every not-so-young car-aficionado will remember all the alcohol and tobacco sponsors that were still allowed in the 70s and 80s. A few names will pop-up such as Rothmans Porsche, Marlboro Ferrari and of course: Martini Racing. Whether it’s the Porsche RSR or the Lancia Delta HF Integrale, everybody knows that iconic livery.
Everyone likes Momos old solid hubs, whether its for an early Porsche 911 or BMW 2002 or whatever. I am no exception. But have you ever thought about why Momo built these other hubs?
The ones that are not quite as pretty as the older ones and have this wrinkled rubber cover? Well. Safety.
When John Surtees won the Formula 1 World Championship in a Ferrari 158 F1 in 1964, no one suspected that this connection would become the closest in Momo’s company history.
Momo did not exist at that time and it wouldn’t have become what it is today without this collaboration.
The Momo Jacky Ickx Signature steering wheel is also based on a very successful model from Momo. Momo used it for special variants for car manufacturers. It was the base for the Ferrari 246 Dino steering wheel and for Volvo the base for their Volvo R racing series wheels with large engraved numbers such as 552032 on the center spoke.
Momo Indy – the most famous of all wooden steering wheels from Momo. Wooden steering wheels were very fashionable in the 1960s. In fact, the very first Momo steering wheel, which was in John Surtees 1964 World Championship Ferrari 158 F1, was a pre-production Momo wooden steering wheel. And if you compare those two, you can still see the legacy of the early wheel in today’s Indy.
Das Treffen – more than just a gathering. When you think of the Porsche scene, Germany, Stuttgart or Zuffenhausen probably comes to mind first. Maybe North America, California, Rennsport, Luftgekühlt, Deus Ex Machina in L.A. Maybe the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. But Thailand? Ever heard of Das Treffen?
The day before yesterday an instagram follower asked questions about the different Victor wheel versions. That reminded me that I wanted to do an article about that very special steering wheel. I browsed through my old magazines, catalogs and old ads, compared publishing dates and datas and finally compared all the information.
A very special Momo steering wheel. Not because of the “special” in the name of well-known Formula 1 sponsor and successful tobacco producer John Player Special. Special, because it is an exception in the production line. To this day, it’s the only Momo with a logo on it which is not a car manufacturer logo – the Momo JPS wheel made for Lotus.
The Abarth steering wheel has been a very popular steering wheel for a lot of classic car fans for many years. No matter if you drive a Porsche, Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo or BMW. Maybe it’s still a bit under the radar, rather for connoisseurs, while everyone who considers himself and his car sporty, buys a Momo Prototipo.
A number of you guys asked questions about the current Momo Steering Wheels. So I had a look and found a very nice line-up:
The Momo Heritage Series.
All you need to know about this special collection, the new interpreted stacked Momo Logo Horn Button and where to get these beautiful new steering wheels.
After a few month of continuous working I took two weeks off in order to go to Italy and drive some of the amazing alpine mountain roads with a car I still have in Europe. Being a Porsche aficionado for such a long time, I’ve never made it to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. It was time to finally go and what can I say: it was absolutely worth it!
Magnus Walker once again visited Hamburg, his absolute favorite city in Germany. Asked about the reasons, he answered jokingly that he likes Hamburgers and that’s why he likes to be in Hamburg. And indeed – he likes steering wheels as much as we all do. And I had the chance to get a few steering wheels signed for PATIPATINA.
A lot of people have seen my Kremer Porsche steering wheels and a few had the chance to buy one. Those wheels became famous when Kremer Racing installed them in their K2 and K3. Most people drilled holes into their steering wheels and installed them to the hub they had in the car already. Well, you could still do it. But you shouldn’t. Here is the adapter!
The Momo Mario Andretti signature steering wheel is based on one of the most known Momo steering wheels: the Momo Cavallino, also known as the C35. As the Cavallino, the wheel was available in black and silver and in various sizes.
Unlike the Cavallino, the Momo Mario Andretti was only available in black and in 350mm diameter.
The Momo Gritti is again one of the steering wheels of Momo with many stories, secrets and mysteries. As mentioned in previous articles, Momo developed a variety of steering wheels, which were manufactured during it’s lifespan exclusively for Momo or almost exclusively or with minor modifications exclusively for other car manufacturers.
The Momo Niki Lauda signature steering wheel represents the characteristics of Niki Lauda probably like no other from the series.
Straight and straightforward, direct, clearly focused and a good grip, which is a little thicker – similar to the Momo Jackie Stewart steering wheel.
The Momo Clay Regazzoni Steering Wheel is perhaps the most beautiful of the entire Signature Series.
The steering wheel is based on the Prototipo S, on the other hand, it shows visual aspects of the successful model Prototipo. One could say best of two worlds.
Yesterday I got a small package from an even smaller town called London, England. By a talented guy, he calls himself builtbybasil and produces shift knobs from old skateboards among other things. This is the shift knob he made for me, goes into my shitty old 911 soon.
Momo dedicated a beautiful steering wheel to Ronnie Peterson, which was only available in black – like his friends steering wheel, the Momo Mario Andretti.
The diameter is 350mm, it has a semi dish and is drawn by the very elegant slots look.
My passion with Vintage Momo Steering Wheels started when I was looking for the perfect match for my early Porsche.
The car came with a huge, super thin steering wheel, bus driver kind of thing. All I wanted was the opposite. This is what I’ve found.
