The 370mm Momo Niki Lauda steering wheel
Mads van Appeldoorn
February 28, 2023
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Not just a Momo Niki Lauda – but the rarest Momo signature steering wheel
A lot of steering wheel collectors started their journey with the Momo Signature Series — those iconic wheels carrying the names of racing legends. The Momo Niki Lauda is one of them. Everyone has their favorites, and to be honest, I just decided not to choose. I collected them all.
Yes, multiple times. And there are still unopened boxes somewhere around here. Inside a few of them: Momo Niki Laudas. But only one with a 370 mm diameter.
Yes, multiple times. And there are still unopened boxes somewhere around here. Inside a few of them: Momo Niki Laudas. But only one with a 370 mm diameter.
The 370 mm Momo Niki Lauda doesn’t exist (except it does)
Wait, what? The 370 mm Momo Niki Lauda doesn’t exist?
Well, technically… it does — and somehow it doesn’t. There’s no trace of it in Momo’s own archives, not in any catalogs, ads or brochures.
Officially, every steering wheel in the Signature Series came in 350 mm. The only exceptions were the Momo Jacky Ickx and the Momo Gilles Villeneuve, both available in 350 and 320 mm.
So yeah, you could think that a 370 mm Niki Lauda is a production mistake — a “misprint” kind of thing, like it happened with a few other Momo wheels. But that doesn’t fit. I’ve seen not one, but three of them – one silver and two black, both carrying Lauda’s signature. Too consistent to be an accident.
A signature steering wheel without a signature
Here’s where it gets even better. Not every wheel in the Signature Series was originally made for the series. Take the Momo Jackie Stewart – same design, different story.
The Momo Clay Regazzoni? Also sold as a Prototipo.
The Momo Ronnie Peterson? Came both signed and unsigned, with a yellow Momo imprint.
The Jacky Ickx? Pretty much the same as the Gilles Villeneuve, and also used as the base for several OEM Saab and Volvo wheels.
All known stuff.
But there’s one detail that somehow never made it into the collector talk — until recently.
And that’s where an Aussie patipatina fan comes in. One message, one photo, and a long rabbit hole later, I had something that didn’t line up with any catalog, yet made perfect sense once you saw it.
Momo Niki Lauda design 370mm steering wheel
Typical Momo Niki Lauda steering wheel shape & Niki Lauda signature horn button
Back of the 370mm Momo Niki Lauda design steering wheel
Made in Italy, 7-81
Niki Lauda design – Alfa Romeo OEM steering wheel
Momo is well-known for producing countless OEM steering wheels for car manufacturers — including Alfa Romeo. And for one very special model, the design of the Momo Niki Lauda steering wheel was used and slightly adapted to 370 mm.
The regular Momo Niki Lauda signature wheel only ever existed in black – 350 mm in diameter, black leather, black spokes, and always carrying Lauda’s signature. There was never a version without it. The silver one in the photos simply has the signature scraped off over time.
This very special 370mm Niki Lauda signature version was an OEM steering wheel made for the Alfa Romeo Alfetta “Sportiva” sedan — a limited special edition from the early 1980s. “Sportiva” basically meant Campagnolo wheels, stripes down the side, and a Momo steering wheel with silver (brushed anodized) spokes and brown leather, matching the interior.
So where does that leave the 370 mm Niki Lauda wheels? They don’t fit into any catalog or Alfa parts list. They seem to exist somewhere between the official Momo Signature Series and the Alfa OEM program — a tiny batch of hand-built hybrids that were never supposed to be, yet somehow are. And that’s exactly what makes them so fascinating.
And a little nod to Niki himself
Here’s a fun bit of trivia: Niki Lauda never actually raced for Alfa Romeo – but in 1978 and 1979 he drove Brabham Formula 1 cars powered by Alfa Romeo V12 engines. So, if you think about it, a Momo Niki Lauda steering wheel — especially the mythical 370 mm one — connects all the dots. Lauda, Momo, Alfa Romeo. Three icons, one wheel. A small, round reminder of a time when race cars were wild, drivers were heroes, and the line between myth and metal was razor-thin.
