Catalog of factory and aftermarket steering wheels

[Mark Morrissey]

That number, 12707, as best as I can determine is Patent/design number Moretti acquired even before he started Momo. To my knowledge, it only appears on the earliest wheels -- 1964-67. Don't know why he stopped using it.
Remember that silver "1" wheel you sold at Lime Rock that I missed by 15 minutes? It had that 12707 too but with a different treatment.

Here's an example of how it was used on the first wheels he marketed... on the right side of the back of a 380 Le Mans wheel. This same treatment is also on my early Monti Carlo and was like this on the 400mm Monza I had a couple of years ago.

[LongRanger]

. . . Mighty familiar looking wheel there Rick ;-) Except for the Abarth engraving, the stitching and the spoke color, it is otherwise identical to the one I just sold . . .

Yup . . .

. . . and yours looks a lot like one I juuuuust missed . . . on eBay, like, maybe --- three years, back?


Also --- wanna thank you for your 'heads-up,' coupla weeks back. I'd made an offer but . . . .

I won't forget that . . . or the wheel



Maybe next time, My Friend . . .

[Jens]

Nice wheel Rick, as I recall it was plenty spendy too.

Mark, that's what I was thinking; MoMo number (patent number). And you missed that wheel of mine by 3 minutes. I paid $40 for it and gave it away at $400. Right now it would fetch a lot more. What the hell, as my friend Frank G. says "you never lose money making a profit". His father taught him that.

[70SATMan]

That number, 12707, as best as I can determine is Patent/design number Moretti acquired even before he started Momo. To my knowledge, it only appears on the earliest wheels -- 1964-67. Don't know why he stopped using it.
.

I think I've seen the same number on wheels that MOMO supplied as OEM to a couple of Marques. I'll have to dig through a few pics. These were typically like the later Prototipo S style or another I can't name off the top of me head where padded center horn sections were added. I know SAAB used a MOMO as OEM etc.

[LongRanger]

From an old thread . . .

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...g-wheel-police

Wow

[Bullethead]

Rick, neither your post or the old one have live pics... would sure like to see "wow".

[LongRanger]

. . . Rick, neither your post or the old one have live pics . . .

Yeah-yeah, Russ --- I know-I know . . . but I'm hoping one of our Resident Wheelmongers will dig 'round, back in their vaults . . . maybe pull out this little plum

Or maybe just give some back-round. From the looks of all o' these MoMos, it seems that Mr Moretti got a lotta mileage out not-a-lotta wheel blanks --- Sebring, Monza, Circle '1,' Le Mans --- now this

I've never even heard of an 'Elite' when I came across this, so . . . . . here's to hoping that someone has some details/stories/rumors/etc to share

[John Fusco]

From an old thread . . .

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...g-wheel-police

Wow

Thanks again for that one G.K.

[Jim Breazeale]

Here is one that I stumbled upon in my back room. Kind of different, but butt ugly, IMHO.

[LongRanger]

An Abarth sorta-look-a-like, hence --- Fauxbarth


Previously seen + described, here . . .

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...ing-wheel-911R


Maker + model unknown, 14 1/2 in/368 mm dia
Black textured vinyl cover w/ black, possibly dark-gray stitching over glued-on leather 'gaiters' at each spoke, on a brushed-finished + what looks to be black-painted aluminum frame. Weight = 2.2 lbs/1 kg

Another less-common ‘slotted’ spoke style wheel, w/ 'Made in Italy' stamped in-/on-to the back of the 6 ‘o’clock. Good-looking + seemingly well-made bit

These seem to turn-up infrequently . . . and now, always make me suspicious . . . especially after seeing a stamped Abarth up close

‘Made in Italy,’ huh? Why would an Italian want/need to identify his product in English?

And why wouldn’t said maker put his name on his stuff? Nardi, MoMo, Abarth, et al all see fit to identify their products + marking them accordingly. Why not this?

Also missing is the circled 'R' + 'No 12707' stamped into the back of some other Italian-made steering wheels . . . which, by the way, don’t say ‘made anywhere’ . . . but their absence may have more to do with when they were made. And this wheel doesn’t look any decades old

I don’t think there’s anything really sinister going on here. Nardi made a very similar wheel --- but chose to put their name on it. But this wheel is uncomfortably closer in appearance to Abarth’s product . . . yet coyly leaves any distinctive identification off, so . . .

I think this is a well-made slotted wheel, commissioned by some manufacturer --- probably American . . . conveniently similar to an Abarth --- without being too obvious about it . . .

(Kinda like a Hummer’s vertically-slotted grill looking oh-so-much like a JEEP’s)

Differences are more obvious side-by-side, but, compared to a stamped Abarth . . . the Fauxbarth’s spokes aren’t quite as wide, w/ smaller/narrower slots, and are made from noticeably thicker/sturdier/heavier material.

Probably a more-durable bit . . . and nicely made, but --- well . . . just not the same

In other words --- if it doesn’t say Abarth? . . . then I don’t think it’s an Abarth

But --- if you’ve been looking as long as I have (especially for a black one) . . . and you’re getting kinda sick of it . . . then a tidy little Fauxbarth’s really-reeeeally close, huh?