This is the MOMO California Wood steering wheel, it’s a version of the classic MOMO California wheel made with a polished mahogany wood rim rather than leather.
This steering wheel is ideally suited to use in vintage sports cars, and many 356, 911, 912, and 914 owners have retrofitted them over the years – they look particularly good when matched with one of MOMO’s heritage wooden shift knobs.
This steering wheel is ideally suited to use in vintage sports cars, and many 356, 911, 912, and 914 owners have retrofitted them over the years
MOMO: A History Speedrun
MOMO is an Italian automotive accessories firm that was founded in 1964 by race car driver Gianpiero Moretti. The company name is derived from “Moretti Monza” – referencing the founder’s surname and the Monza circuit north of Milan.
Moretti’s was unhappy with existing steering wheels, which lead to him to commission a custom design featuring a smaller total diameter and a thicker rim for improved grip. This was quite different to the traditional steering wheel designs of the time, which tended to have wider diameters and thinner rims.
This new design gained immediate attention from the racing community, perhaps most notably when Formula 1 driver John Surtees used a MOMO steering wheel in his Ferrari 158 to win the 1964 Drivers’ World Championship.
MOMO expanded its product offerings in the 1970s to include alloy automotive wheels and steering wheels specifically designed for road cars, supplying both the aftermarket and original equipment manufacturers, starting with Ferrari. In 1981, the company established MOMO Design, a style center dedicated to car design research and development.
The firm now produces a broad range of automotive equipment including steering wheels, gear knobs, alloy wheels, racing suits, and racing helmets. Interestingly, MOMO has also collaborated with companies like Logitech to design steering wheels for video game and sim racing controllers.
MOMO steering wheels, helmets, and racing suits have been used by some of the most significant drivers in motorsport history, including Mario Andretti, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Michele Alboreto, Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart, and Clay Regazzoni.
The MOMO California Wood Steering Wheel
The MOMO California Wood steering wheel has a chrome-plated frame that has had its three arms drilled rallye-style for weight reduction. It has a MOMO horn center cap, and it attaches to the adapter courtesy of six Allen bolts.
The MOMO California Wood steering wheel has a chrome-plated alloy frame that has had its three arms drilled rallye-style for weight reduction.
The rim of the wheel is made from polished mahogany with a circular contrast silk screen. It has a diameter of 360 mm, the grip section is 24 × 28 mm and it has a 34 mm dish.
The MOMO California Wood wheel can now be bought directly from the company’s Amazon store here, and at the time of writing they have five units left in stock.
Images provided by MOMO Design
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.