The Rare Pre-Momo Montecarlo Steering Wheel (1964)
Before Momo was Momo
by Mads – Last updated April 2026
There are steering wheels that define a brand.
And there are steering wheels that exist before the brand even has a name.
This is one of them.
The Pre-MOMO Montecarlo is widely considered the earliest known steering wheel design linked to Gianpiero Moretti — created before Momo was officially founded.
It doesn’t sit inside a product line.
It sits at the beginning of everything.
Some links may be affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
A wheel that doesn’t fit any system
Every now and then, a piece appears that doesn’t behave like a normal collectible.
This was one of those moments.
A 380 mm wheel, dated 1964, built in a way that clearly predates Momo’s formal production structure — yet already showing the design language that would later define it.
It wasn’t something actively searched for.
It simply surfaced.
Origin and early ownership
This specific wheel is said to have been owned by Swiss racing driver Herbert Müller.
According to its history, it was passed down through family ownership in the late 1970s.
Whether it was ever used in competition or installed in one of his road or dealership vehicles remains unknown.
What remains is the object itself — and the story attached to it.
Material & construction
Unlike later production wheels, the Montecarlo was built in a much more direct, almost industrial way:
- Anticorodal aluminium (Swiss-origin alloy)
- Hand-built construction
- Approx. 24 mm rim thickness
- 380 mm diameter
- Available in silver and black
The leather was applied manually, resulting in subtle irregularities that are typical for early production work.
Nothing here is standardized.
Everything is individual.
Markings & Identification
Early Pre-Momo wheels carry very specific engravings:
- “Hand Made in Italy”
- “Mod. Dep. N° 12707”
- slightly angled upper spokes
These markings predate the standardized Momo branding system.
They are not decorative.
They are functional traces of early production registration.
The missing Horn Button
Originally, the wheel was delivered with a matching horn button featuring a scripted “M”.
In most surviving examples, this element is lost.
Which is almost expected — not unusual.
But still part of the story.
Some links may be affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Why this wheel matters
The Pre-Momo Montecarlo is not valuable because it is rare.
It is rare because it sits outside of classification.
It represents:
the pre-company phase of Momo
hand-built racing culture of the early 1960s
a design language that later became industrialized
It is not a model.
It is a transition point.
Final Thought
Some wheels belong to catalogues.
This one belongs to origin stories.
And that is exactly why it stands apart.