How old is my Momo Steering Wheel
You don’t guess the age. You read it.
by Mads – Last updated April 2026
There’s always that moment.
You turn the wheel around,
look at the back,
and try to make sense of a few letters and numbers
that don’t explain themselves.
Some wheels tell you exactly when they were made.
Others don’t.
This guide is how you read both.
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Why there is no simple answer
Momo never documented this properly.
No official archive.
No clean timeline.
What exists is pieced together:
- old advertisements
- race photos
- surviving wheels
Which means:
You don’t look it up.
You read the clues.
The fast way (if you just want the answer)
If your wheel has a date stamp:
→ it’s mid-1977 or newer
Format:
m-yy
(no leading zero)
Example:
6-79 → June 1979
If there is no date stamp, keep reading.
The early ones – before Momo was “MOMO” (1964-1965)
Before the brand fully existed,
the wheels already did.
Look for:
- “HAND MADE IN ITALY” (left spoke)
- “MOD. DEPARTMENT 12707” (right spoke)
12707 = patent reference.
These are the earliest known markings.
Rare.
Unstructured.
Not fully documented.
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First Momo appears (1966-1967)
The name shows up.
But not consistently.
You’ll find variations like:
- “12707 MOMO MADE IN ITALY”
- “MOMO”
- “PAT. MOMO ITALY”
Important:
All of these belong to the same rough period.
There is no exact order.
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The stacked logo era (1968-1973)
This is where things become recognisable.
The stacked MOMO logo appears
— on wheels and horn buttons.
Key point:
This is the last phase where the branding sits on the back like this.
Collectors love these.
But:
A stacked logo doesn’t automatically mean
“early 70s exact year”.
It gives you a range, not a date.
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The transition phase (1974-mid 1977)
Now we get closer to structure.
Two variants, in that order:
- “MADE IN ITALY”
- “MADE IN ITALY M20340”
M20340 = another patent reference.
What’s missing:
A clear switch point.
So again:
You’re working with a time window, not a fixed year.
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The turning point (mid 1977-)
This is where guesswork ends.
Momo starts stamping:
m-yy
Example:
- 6-79
- 5-79
Usually located:
- back of center spoke
- or right spoke
From here on:
You can date a wheel precisely.
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Modern variations
Later wheels follow the same idea
but with small changes:
- leading zero added (e.g. 03-80)
- slight font differences
Nothing dramatic.
Just evolution.
Quick reference
If you only remember one thing, make it this:
1964–65 → HAND MADE + 12707
1966–67 → early MOMO variations
1968–73 → stacked MOMO logo
1974–mid 1977 → MADE IN ITALY (+ M20340)
mid 1977+ → date stamped (m-yy)
What people often misread
They look for exact years
where none exist.
Pre-1977 wheels are not precise.
They are contextual.
And that’s the difference:
Dating a wheel
is not always about numbers.
Sometimes it’s about understanding
when something could have been made.
Final Thought
If your wheel has a date stamp,
you’re done.
If it doesn’t,
you’re not missing information.
You’re just looking at a time
before things were documented properly.
And that’s exactly what makes those wheels interesting.
