i have had both Nardi wood and the banjo on my speedsters. If you were to build a spyder...silver color...would you go old school banjo (black)or wood Nardi?
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Wood
Wood. (And FYI my car has a big ol' Bluemels Brooklands banjo wheel fitted.)
Ivory banjo, as original. As Bruce Jennings (King Carrera)said: "If you race, you do NOT want a wood wheel".
Jim has a nice metal one he'd probably sell...
I must say, I love my fat Momo Course leather wheel.
Todd, having a Spyder, I have a bit of experience on this. I have a Nardi classic, wood over aluminum rim. It is a little smaller than the banjo, and gives more room to the six-pack-of-beer abs.
Every banjo I've seen flexes way too much for me. But they look nice. If you really want to DRIVE the car, and not just putter around, get a Nardi.
Either one looks correct, although it seems that Porsche used the banjo in the first iteration of the Spyder mostly. The 550A, RSK, and RS-60 and 61 usually had a Nardi or the like.
My 6 pack is a keg. Freaking dunkin donuts. Anyway, yes Danny this will be built with a soob motor and actually toying with idea of the turbo but regardless enoygh HP to want to hang on to a solid steering wheel. I remember my banjo was a little flimsy.
I currently have a beefed up Suby powered Spyder, and whole heartedly agree with Danny..... And yes, you will be hanging on for dear life with anything stronger than the stock Suby 145 (or so) hp.... I'm having my white knuckles tattooed pink....
What Danny said. I had a '56 A coupe once and it had the banjo. I really did not like that wheel -- too flexible. Plus, anybody who had a 356 "back in the day" was all about getting a Nardi, which was seen as WAY COOL. Later I had a '61 B coupe and it had a factory three spoke metal (Al, or ?? I'm not sure) which was SO much better. And now, m Speedie has a Nardi, and at last, I too am WAY COOL. Just sayin' . . .
PS: Not that the banjo wheel doesn't look cool in a properly made out "period" Speedster, 'cause it does give the authentic look, no doubt about it. And I have not seen or driven a modern day version of the banjo, so do not know exactly how it compares to the original flexibility-wise.
I just like the way my Nardi wood wheel feels. If I could , I'd have them on the other cars too. Had a banjo wheel on my AH 3000 and it flexed enough to break a few strands loose when the guy I sold it to rear ended another vehicle. Brakes kinda sucked too.
I use the a Momo set just like this one for sale.
The best of both worlds atleast for me, I get the wood look with the leather grip.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pts/4922915232.html
Originally Posted by Terry Nuckels--'04 JPS Speedster NorCal:
Jim has a nice metal one he'd probably sell...
Sure! I can sell you this one out of my mom's car. 
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Now that....that is a steering wheel
It's the only way she can drive with the handcuffs on!
I also had a banjo with a horn ring in my original 59 356a and I like the size a lot, I am told that the reproductions are not that well built. ray
I have to say I like the thickness, the feel, and the rigidity of the Nardi wood. The Banjo is just too thin feeling in my hands for any kind of aggressive driving. Straight up cruising down the boulevard, the banjo would be fine, a fast-arce Spyder, probalbly not too much.