It’s easier to start with the thing I didn’t buy because there’s only one. And since I didn’t buy it, there’s not much to elaborate on — I’ll just say that I missed it by less than ¥100,000. Oh well, it seems like this is one of those situations where it’s not about if, but when.

However, I did buy something rather quite special, shown here in the brochure for the 22B:

I know that this same steering wheel appeared in early versions of the Type R/RA, but for me, it will always be associated with the 22B. And since, in our neck of the woods, this is the Holy Grail, I like to think I now own a piece of that Grail.

It’s slightly worn, but considering how long it’s been since it left sunny Italy, I’m really happy with its condition.

It does not have the airbag, so there are just two pins for the horn behind the cover.

I’m not particularly fond of the look of old steering wheels reupholstered with new leather, especially when the cover/airbag remains old — it usually doesn’t create a cohesive look. I’m not saying a definite no, but I’ll likely stick with the patina. The only thing I did was to slightly refresh the stitching.

All you need is a permanent marker and a little patience: