MOMO was founded by gentleman racer Gianpiero Moretti in 1964. MOMO are the initials for "Moretti-Monza". Monza is a town in the Province of Milan. That year, Moretti produced a racing steering wheel for his own race car. This was the first steering wheel produced by the brand. Compared to the other racing steering wheels available on the market at that time, Momo featured thicker grip, the other racers noticed the convenience of that steering wheel and wanted to obtain the same for their vehicles. So, steering wheels by this brand gained fame throughout the racing community and among the Formula One drivers. So, John Surtees, one of Formula One’s drivers, requested the same steering wheel for his single-seater Ferrari. That same year, he won a Formula One race - the first significant victory of the Momo brand.