Fat Steering Wheel

[TOMKIZER]

My 365 GT 2+2 has a fat steering wheel. It was on the car when I bought it in 1985. At FCA2008 Concours in Toronto, the judges asked me if I knew any history of the wheel and how it happened to be fatter than what is believed to be "correct". It ended up costing me 1/2 point. I've included photos of Scott Oshry's apparently "correct" wheel beside my fat wheel. I have also included photos of modern NARDI reproductions of their wheels from the 60s. The Anni '60 wheel is a 380 mm wheel. The Classic is available as a 330, 360, or 390 mm wheel. I don't know which one is shown.

Because of the spokes of Scott's and my wheels, they are both obviously NARDIs, but my wheel appears to have the fat wood of the NARDI Classic wheel built on the spokes of the Anni '60 wheel. Is it possible that combination might that have been available as a special request in 1969? Obviously, my car has one, and from before 1985. The big question is, "Would it have been available from Ferrari, or would one have had to change it after delivery?
When I bought my car, it also had a different hub and Ferrari Prancing Horse horn button from an unknown source. That photo is also included last.

Does anyone have any knowledge of Ferrari practices regarding customization in the 1960s that might shed some light on this wheel and the original hub and horn button? Hopefully there's as much knowledge out there about steering wheels as there is about horns.

Tom Kizer

[mikewegener]

On original Nadi wheels there is a stamping on the back that indicates the year. The wheel in my Mercedes has a "Square" stamped on the back with the number 64 and the word italy in it. I have also seen a "Circle". As far as I know all sixties wheels have the desirable thin wood rim and most are also large - 16" and more.
The current Nardi production is I think done in China and cannot be used for comparison at all,
being more marketing than substance.
The last italian wheels were probably made in the eighties. I attached a pic of a stamp on a 1984 wheel that I saw on ebay. The seller claimed it was NOS and came from their old unsold dealer stock. Notice the oval stamp with made in italy inside but no year. Nardi also changed the bolt pattern diameter sometime in the seventies. All the early thin rimmed wheels I have seen had the smaller bolt pattern.
I am sure other more informed member will chime in on this.
Mike

[Tom Wilson]

My steering wheel does not have that stamp. Should it have been there 1n 1963? Also there is a brown area on the back of the spokes that looks like some sort of clear coat that has aged. Was the aluminum coated?

[8339]

Tom, here goes! I have both a very original Nardi wheel on my 330 GT and I also have a 365 2+2 in the shop. On my 330 there are no Nardi stamps visible on any of the spokes, there may be one underneath the hub. On the 365, there's a MOMO marking on the back who was or still is the Nardi Distrbutor in NA. On the original wheels to the best of my knowledge, the barley finish is very fine and not raised, it is a 16 inch wheel and the aluminum hub is visible on the inside of the wheel where the newer wheels they are not. The MOMO wheels is 21mm thick where the original wheel is 19mm thick. The barley finish on the replacement or aftermarket wheels are deep and and more pronounced. I have a Book on Nardi at home, when I get back there I'll see if there's any other info.


Richard Garre
Radcliffe Motorcar Co.

[TOMKIZER]

My fat steering wheel also has NO stamps or other marks anywhere on the spokes (nor on the hub).

HOWEVER, having a brainstorm, I went back through my records to 1984 (before some of you guys were born). I found that my on earliest piece of paper, an invoice in Italian, from the second from last Italian owner (a mechanic) to the last Italian owner, showed that he had purchased "1 volante Ferrari e relativo mozzo bloccasterzo for 150,000 (lire, I suppose)", which I think translates to, "1 Ferrari steering wheel and related steering lock hub", whatever that last part means.

Apparently my wheel was purchased new in 1984 and I think maybe was designed for a later Ferrari. Except for the fatness of the wood, it's close to correct.

I guess, with the rediculous prices of "correct" vintage NARDI steering wheels, I'll just live with the fat wheel and the 1/2 point the judges deduct, and go ahead and fix everything else.

Thanks for all the input.

Tom Kizer

[TOMKIZER]

Were they already making reproductions of 1960s steering wheels in 1984? That's when mine was bought and installed.
Tom Kizer