MOMO

MOMO began in the 1960's; its history is an example of the creative, imaginative entrepreneurship that has allowed small Italian businesses to expand and conquer international markets. It all began with a passion for motor racing. One day Gianpiero Moretti, university student and gentleman driver, had a friend of his who made a very special steering-wheel for Gianpiero 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 was much more comfortable, making the car easier to handle and to 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-seat Formula One 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 in the glory. Requests for it began to pour in, and what had began as a passion grew into a business. In 1966 a plant in Verona was opened to produce very special steering-wheels, giving birth to MOMO (from the initials of Moretti-Monza). The first order was from Ferrari, which had decided to use MOMO steering-wheels on all its racing cars. With this formidable partnership, MOMO could begin to scale the international market. Over the years, MOMO has expanded its product range from steering wheels to shift knobs, pedals, seats and tuning accessories, to racing accessories such as Nomex driving suits, gloves, shoes, and racing seats. MOMO’s road wheel line has produced some of the most recognizable designs in the industry. The Star and Quasar of the 80’s were the fore bearers of today’s deep lip trend. In the 90’s, MOMO offered the Idea, Evolution 1, Evolution 2, the first wheels that allowed consumers to easily change the look of the wheel with replaceable, paintable, aluminum accessories. The 90’s also included the Arrow, Status, Extreme and Vantage wheels – four of the most copied wheel designs in the industry. In 2002 MOMO offered the Magnum. One of the first designs in a 23 inch diameter and the first to wrap the end of the spoke around the lip of the wheel – now one of the most common design elements in the off-road wheel industry. As a follow-up, MOMO released the Storm in 2003. Its clean spoke design and removable “foot” have made it a hallmark SUV wheel and is still in production today. In 2005 MOMO released the MOMOCORSE line of road wheels. These are the first MOMO wheels that are specifically designed and marketed to the more aggressive sport compact marketplace. When the MOMOCORSE RPM was released it became the fastest selling wheel in the history of the brand. Design, innovation, vanguard technology, top quality and the coolest Brand image are the keys of MOMO's success