Vintage Steering Wheel? What model? | FerrariChat

Vintage Steering Wheel? What model?

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by geno berns, Oct 23, 2013.

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  1. geno berns

    geno berns F1 Rookie

    Oct 26, 2006
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    Geno
    #1 geno berns, Oct 23, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  2. GordonC

    GordonC F1 Rookie
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    Aug 28, 2005
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  3. geno berns

    geno berns F1 Rookie

    Oct 26, 2006
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    Geno
    The Lusso wheel has a black stripe on top. This is a Walsall produced wheel that Ferrari when to for steering wheels for their cars in 1966 when Nardi stopped making wheels for a while. Look at the stamp on the back...

     
  4. Athanase

    Athanase Formula Junior

    Jan 27, 2007
    311
    Except marking Walsall instead of Momo, it is very similar to the Dino 206GT (38cm) and early Daytona (40cm) Momo steering wheel, it should be from 1968/69.
     
  5. Athanase

    Athanase Formula Junior

    Jan 27, 2007
    311
  6. johngtc

    johngtc Formula Junior
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    Mar 4, 2005
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    Yorkshire, UK
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    John Gould
    My '68 GTC has a Momo wheel, which as far as I can see is identical to the Nardi.

    I seem to remember that Italy was plagued with industrial disputes at about that time and I wonder if Ferrari sourced components of the same or very similar design from different manufacturers in order to keep going.
     
  7. johngtc

    johngtc Formula Junior
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    Mar 4, 2005
    817
    Yorkshire, UK
    Full Name:
    John Gould
    Out of curiosity, I did a bit of web searching and came across this post from an MG forum, dating from 2004:

    Good grief, this takes me back. Walsall is a small-ish town in the English
    Midlands and I worked there for a while in the early sixties. While
    wandering round with a local one day we came across this grotty little
    workshop in a row of Victorian buildings with a sign on the front 'The
    Walsall Wheel Company'. I made a bit of a joke about Walsall only needing
    one wheel or something and was told proudly that they manufactured quality
    steering wheels for the likes of Ferrari. Walsall *is* (or more likely
    'was' these days) famous for leather goods including horse and bicycle
    saddles. Probably long gone by now except in the archives of the local
    library.

    There are several references to them making wheels for Les Leston (a long defunct business selling performance parts for MG, Austin Healey, Lotus and the like) and one reference points to a current E-Bay seller in the US, selling new Nardi wheels.

    I wonder if there was some sub contracting done in those more 'difficult' times!
     
  8. John B

    John B Formula 3

    May 27, 2003
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    NJ
    #8 John B, Oct 25, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I just happen to have the steering wheel currently off my '67 330 GTC to repair the dreaded broken indicator stalk. This prompted me to take a close look at it. It turns out to be a MOMO as well, I had always just assumed it was a Nardi.

    It's very similar to the one Geno showed, except the finger groves on the back side are not as defined.
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  9. Vintage47

    Vintage47 Karting

    Oct 16, 2005
    54
    Marc Wallach sent me a Walsall wheel one time when I sent him a black line 16 inch Nardi for repair. I called him and told him it said Walsall on the back. Marc said there was a period when Ferrari had a dispute with Nardi and sourced wheels instead from the English Walsall company.
     
  10. whturner

    whturner Formula Junior

    Nov 25, 2003
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    Western Pennsylvania
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    Warren Turner
    1967 330 GT series II produced Dec '67. Has Momo Wheel picts look identical.
    Cheers Warren
     
  11. markus77

    markus77 Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2019
    315
    Last week, at the Auto Moto d'Epoca fair in Bologna, I spoke to an employee at the Nardi stand.
    According to what I was told, Nardi produced steering wheels (42 centimeters in diameter) for Ferrari until 1965.
    Subsequently the steering wheels for Ferrari would have been produced by other brands (which he did not tell me) and, since then, they would have been of 40 centimeters in diameter.
    The above is what I was told but perhaps the diameter issue is a little more complex than how it was described to me. I seem to have read that the buyer of a Ferrari in those years could, within certain limits, choose the diameter of the steering wheel (for example 40 or 42 centimeters).
     
  12. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 World Champ
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    Nov 1, 2003
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    40 cm for sports cars
    42 cm for larger cars(ie 2+2 etc.)
    walsal was briefly used when momo was not available.
    most common wheels were nardi and momo.
     
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  13. enio45

    enio45 Formula 3
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    May 16, 2004
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    i understand that gtc
    cars with power steering are smaller in diameter - true or not?
     
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  14. Edward 96GTS

    Edward 96GTS F1 World Champ
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    Nov 1, 2003
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    330/365gtc/gts has 400 mm momo wheels
     
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