PRE-MOMO 1964 MONTECARLO STEERING WHEEL
Morettis masterpiece – the Holy Grail of Momo steering wheels
Every now and then a very special comes steering wheel along. I wasn’t really looking for such a particular wheel, the wheel found me. And I would like to share the story with you.
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One day I got an email from a guy who asked a few questions about a steering wheel. He was wondering whether the wheel is original or not and as old as he thought it is. Well, I get these kind of mails all the time and I really enjoy talking about wheels, especially when it comes to details about the history of a particular wheel.
pre-Momo Montecarlo from 1964
pre-Momo Montecarlo with lovely patina
So had a look at the pictures and was quite surprised. Third or fourth time that I saw a wheel like that – and I mean pictures. Indeed, it looked like a pre-Momo Montecarlo, 380mm in diameter, from 1964. A few mails later I took the chance to buy it.
This pre-Momo Montecarlo steering wheel was once owned by Herbert Müller, a Swiss racing driver. The previous owner got it as a gift in the late 70s from Herbert Müllers brother. In the Mid 60s, Herbert Müller had to take over the Ferrari, AC Cobra and Lamborghini car dealership from his dad, who died in 1964.
Unfortunately, it is not known whether he used it in one of his race cars or in a Ferrari, AC Cobra or Lamborghini that belonged to the dealership. However, a nice little story that came with that very special steering wheel, some say the holy grail of all steering wheels.
beautifully designed scripted M
back of the pre-Momo Montecarlo steering wheel
Apparently, this pre-Momo Montecarlo steering wheel is the first model of steering wheels made by Moretti for sale to the general public. However, it was made before the Momo company was even founded. All steering wheels made my Moretti before founding Momo had these stamping on the back of the spokes.
left spoke – Hand Made in Italy
right spoke – Mod. Dep. N° 12707
Try to remember that these wheels were hand made, so it’s needless to say that they are quite rare. It’s made from Anticorodal, that’s an aluminum alloy of Swiss origin. It contains 0.6% magnesium, 1.0% silicon and the rest is aluminum. It has a diameter of 380mm and was available in black as well. Back then it came with a beautiful horn button with the same scripted M but unfortunately, that one got lost over the years.
Facts about the pre-Momo Montecarlo steering wheel from 1964
- Manufacturer: Gianpiero Moretti (before he founded Momo)
- Model: Montecarlo
- Production year: 1964
- Diameter: 380mm
- Thickness: 24mm
- Material: brown leather
- Color: silver (was available in black as well)
- Shape: flat