From Passion To Business

It all began with a passion for motor racing. One day Giampiero Moretti, amateur racing driver, had a friend of his make a very special steering wheel for his racing car. It was smaller than the normal ones used but what was most original about it was the handgrip, a very large handgrip that offered a much better hold, making the car easier to handle and drive. This odd steering-wheel attracted the attention of many racing drivers, among them John Surtees of Ferrari. The English driver tried it, was enthusiastic, and had it mounted on his single-seater Formula One racing car.

That was a happy year for Surtees and Ferrari, who won the F.1 championship, and also for Moretti’s steering wheel, which had its share of the glory. Requests for it began to pour in, and what had started as a passion grew into a business. In 1966 a plant in Tregnano, near Verona, was opened to produce these steering wheels, giving birth to MOMO (initials that stand for Moretti-Monza). The first order was from Ferrari, which had decided to use MOMO steering wheels on all its racing cars. With this formidable entrée, MOMO began to scale the international market. On the one hand MOMO diversified production and on the other it broadened its steering wheel range. It also started to produce light alloy wheels. The importance of design in the success of MOMO products led to the creation of a separate division, MOMO DESIGN, in 1982, and in 1983 MOMO CORSE started up, specializing in the production and distribution of high technology racing accessories.