I grew up in a house that had a Gilles Villeneuve-edition Momo Prototipo steering wheel fitted to the “nice” car, the Porsche 914 2.0-litre. When my dad sold the car, he liked the wheel so much that he kept it on his wall—and when I found the car and bought it back, the first order of business was getting a new Prototipo to replace whatever the cheapo junk was that had been installed in its place.
Given my upbringing, I have no choice in the matter: it’s the reference I use to judge other steering wheels by. Available in countless styles and variations—there’s even a Magnus Walker one—the Prototipo has been helping sports and racing cars steer for decades.
From an ergonomics standpoint, I can’t get a grip on old plastic Bakelite steering wheels (but they often look great). Wood is fine, but requires wearing gloves pretty much all of the time. Vinyl…are you kidding?
I find that it’s fun to research steering wheels and scour the web for examples of unique and interesting ones. Which classic do you think was fitted with the best wheel—and what’s your favorite steering wheel upgrade?
