MOMO

Founded by an amateur pilot, Gianpiero Moretti, the company became known to the general public when, in 1964, a Formula 1 pilot, John Sertis , installed a steering wheel on his Ferrari . It was a steering wheel with a thicker rim, relatively used during these times. Curtis on a Ferrari with a MOMO steering wheel won the world title, and after that, Moretti decided to turn his passion into a real thing.

Initially, the company manufactured steering wheels exclusively for rally cars; later, steering wheels for Formula 1 cars were added to the MOMO range ^[2] . The first serious customer of the MOMO series of steering wheels was the Ferrari racing division, since it was decided to install these steering wheels in all cars of their racing series.

At the first stage, production was limited to products for racing cars, but since the early 1970s, the company expanded production by diversifying its product lines. So, the production of alloy wheels and steering wheels began, both for the secondary market and as original parts, for example, for Ferrari cars. In the late 1980s, a partnership was signed with Rolls-Royce to supply original equipment. Then, contracts were concluded with many other automakers, Aston-Martin, Citroen, Daihatsu, Fiat, Honda, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Peugeot, Renault, Saab, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. At the same time, MOMO continued to reap success at major automotive racing events. Mario Andretti, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher are just some of the greatest racers whose cars are also equipped with MOMO products.

1993 is the year of the emergence of Momo Corse, a division specializing in the manufacture of fireproof clothing for pilots and teams.

In 1995, the company became part of Breed Technologies , an American industrial giant and a world leader in the manufacture of steering wheels with an airbag. Breed Technologies was subsequently acquired by Carlyle Management , the largest investment fund. At this time, the company logo changed, a red inscription “Italy” appeared, indicating the importance of the Italian origin of the company.

Since 2005, MOMO has again become completely Italian, headquartered in Milan. A subsidiary is emerging in the United States, and many distributors worldwide. Products are sold under the brand MOMO and MOMO CORSE for the secondary market in more than 60 countries, on 5 continents. The current CEO is Massimo Ciocca, who has been with the company since 1989.

Despite MOMO's increasing focus on alloy wheels, the company continued its activities in racing. MOMO has established itself as a leading manufacturer of steering wheels for the GP2 championships in Europe and Asia, and NASCAR in the United States. In addition, in 2009 the company launched the Reds alloy wheel brand.

MOMO was the first company in the world , who developed and manufactures folding steering wheel hubs that can deform under impact, thereby increasing the safety level achieved up to this point. MOMO is the owner of the Momo Design brand, under which clothes, watches, sunglasses, and perfumes are produced.