246 steering wheel

No. See below the photo of the original Momo wheel on our car (S/N 07412). How do I know it's original? It's a one-owner car.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

And just to make things more confusing, not all 246 steering wheels with holes are the same. The attached photo is from an "L" series Dino which has a different wheel altogether.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Did the factory set the key fob to face the driver with the ignition in the run position or the off position?
I notice yours has the back facing the driver in the off position.

 

All kidding aside, soon after I looked at this picture closely for the first time, I flipped my keys around for this very reason. I'm glad I'm not the only detail freak posting here.

...Keith

 

My L-series wheel, which I believe to be original to the car, is a wood wheel, prob Nardi, though unsigned, and is identical to wheels I've seen on 330 GTC's, except that it does not have a circumferential black strip like the latter. If my car came originally with a wheel like Keith's, it's long gone.

 

Dan you must have no trouble getting noticed in a right hand drive crayola green Dino in the middle of NASCRAP country!

 

Puleeease... It's called Verde Germoglio! And I actually do have trouble getting noticed by the NASCRAP crowd. All they see is a green streak flying by their pick-up trucks!

 

couple of wonderful wheels

 

the ultimate delima of factory correctnes....

 

the first two series dino's have a different steering whel configuration, based on where they fall in the progression.

the last series has steering wheel with holes (generally the majority of the production run) and wheels without holes (generally the later models - such a 74 and on).

i have a january 74 car (07714) with the original wheel and it has holes. i have seen cars both before and after this serial number with wheels that have them and wheels that don't.

i think it is more a matter of what ferrari had on hand and what was the newer version coming on line. whether true or not, if you have seen the modern day ferrari factory, you will believe it entirely possible, i think one production line ran out before the other and cars were simultaniously being produced with both. the first line ran out and had no-holed wheels, while the second line still had quite a few in the so called "bin".

 

Robert:

I believe your wheel is correct. It's the same as used on the 206GT and it's rarer than hens teeth. Your S/N is earlier than mine and so your car has straight knock offs and a wood wheel. At some point between your car and mine, they switched to curved knock offs and leather wrapped steering wheels.

...Keith

 

Mostly likely MOMO

Look on the inside rung of the 6 o'clock spoke

 

Thanks Tom and Keith- I'll check it out.

 

The Bonham's Gstaad 246 GTS (#07620) is a highly original car. The steering wheel seems to me as original, too. It has holes. #07594 has a steering wheel with holes, but it's an early replacement, not an original one. A lot of 246 have steering wheels without holes because the original one's (with holes) broke and were replaced by offical dealers by the latter version without holes. Would be interesting to know at which time the type of the steering wheel was changed officially. Any ideas? Maybe it depended on rhd / lhd (look at dinodan's car #07412)?
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Both of my Dinos have steering wheels with holes. However, the earlier of my two cars has a thicker-section rim MOMO wheel with, if memory serves (it usually doesn't--the cars are covered for the winter, and I haven't looked at the wheels for awhile), one fewer hole at the bottom of the six-o'clock spoke, or at least a longer black leather insert at the bottom. Variety is the spice of Ferrari, no? Fred

 

Here is the steering wheel on #7580, a Euro car. I have been told several times that this is an incorrect steering wheel for my car, but it seems a pretty close match for the wheel on #7412. Any comments? The rim does look thicker.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Hello Jim,

looks very much original to me. Late Dino 246 GT/GTS, north of chassis no. approx. #7000 to #7500, have been delivered with the new steering wheel from the 308 GT4.
But there is no clear line from which chassis no on. Like always with Ferrari in the 70ties, they took the old steering wheel until every piece was gone and suddenly started to fit the new one.
Jim, I´m very confident your steering wheel is original.

Regards Matthias

 

I have to respectfully disagree with Matthias.

The rim is distinctly thicker and the spokes are shaped differently where they meet the bolt circle (single instead of a compound curve). Does it have a Momo logo stamping? If it does, I would say (just my $0.02) that it's a later Momo aftermarket wheel, probably from the late 70s or early 80s. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

 

Sorry Jim, that seems to be correct.
On the second view, your rim ist too thick.
It should look like the one from DinoDan.
So with your chassis no. the steering wheel could have been original with or without holes, but not the one you got.
;-)

Regards Matthias

 

This is definitely early 308 GTB/GTS, late 246 without holes looks different:
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I was going to offer it looks like a MOMO 308GTB wheel, of 1976 - 1977...which HAS become a rare item these days....

 

Here a pic from a 308 GTS 1978 (#24197), same wheel ...
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Bingo!

 

Thanks for the input. It does have MOMO on the lower spoke next to the rim. Probably a later wheel per your comments.

Jim