Pope Francis I used to take the bus . But back then , the denizens of Buenos Aires call in him Father Jorge . His colleagues knew him as Cardinal Jorge Mario Begoglio . As the top - ranking Catholic around , he was entitled to cruise around in a chauffeuredlimo . But he was a simple guy cable ; anecdotes indicate he liked making friend on the coach and people recognise and value his humility .
Pope Francis I , who was elected on March 13 , 2013 , spend the first few days on the chore being a mo stubborn – he opted out of his first drive in the popemobile , a heavy qualify Mercedes , so he could hang out with his cardinal buddies on the bus they ’d all used to arrive at conclave . The next daytime , he again bypassed the popemobile in favour of a much less fast-growing German - engineered cable car : a Volkswagen [ author : Palmo ] . His election was a surprise to pretty much everyone , and the Vatican ’s spokespeople seemed more disport than irritate by his action .
Whether or not it ’ll last , well , that remains to be see . The papacy is clear a more demanding job than being a cardinal , and it comes with the additional tenseness of strict certificate monetary standard . The Catholic Church has suggest that even Pope Francis agrees – under such circumstances , an armored Mercedes is n’t an prodigality . It ’s in reality sensible . Once Pope Francis becomes more accustomed to his new surroundings ( and agnise that the public transit option in Vatican City are a bit circumscribed ) perhaps he ’ll acquiesce .
Of course , the Mercedes in question is just the latest in a long line of safe , easygoing rides … but it does need to be said , though , that Pope Francis is not the first pontiff who ’s had a fancy for VWs .
Any Color You Like, as Long as It’s Vatican Mystic White
Most armoured machine go for refinement and essay to blend into the crowd , but the popemobile happens to be passably blatant . Although the Pope seems awfully endanger in his greenhouse - similar shabu bubble , those windows and consistency panels are unshakable . And the entire underbody is bombproof , too . ( And all those rappers in armored G - Wagens think they ’re important . ) Mounted on the back of a Mercedes M - Class SUV , the current variant of the Pope ’s transport chamber is box - in with expectant trash panel than its predecessor . Another new feature for the 2012 mannikin is that the Pope is crystalize – literally – by lighting that ’s integrate into the roofline that casts downward on His Holiness . A swanky white leather interior lends a celestial tinge , and the seat is aggrandise with the apostolic coat of arms . The throne itself is mounted on ahydraulic liftfor wanton entry and exit .
It takes a lot of power to hale around a heavy armoured vehicle , so a ML430 V-8 locomotive engine ride under the hood , and while the Pope ’s motorcade usually travel at ceremonial , parade - like speeds , it ’s adequate to of reach 100 mile per hour ( 160.9 kilometers per hour ) . That horizontal surface of customization carry a goodly cost tag end , but it does n’t cost the Catholics anything . The end result is a gift to the Vatican from Mercedes , a long - put up custom . At a cost of about $ 500,000 ( plus nine months of design and fabrication ) it ’s a rather pricey present – but that form of promotional material just ca n’t be bought .
And what happens when the Pope ’s busy agenda requires tighter turnarounds or an intercontinental jump , and a typical road - bind fomite just wo n’t cut it ? The prescribed popemobile is schlepped around to accommodate the Pope ’s travels . So Mercedes glower the chassis a bit , to make it promiscuous to pack up and move around the world [ beginning : Undercoffler ] .
The current popemobile was built in 2012 ; but the late popemobile had been in service since 2002 . They have a caboodle of mutual features , however , which avail illustrate what the Vatican has do to wait for its official apostolical transport . Mercedes has been the Vatican ’s supplier of record book since the 1930s . They have a trenchant vantage in this type of market because Mercedes is really outfit to armor vehicles at the factory ( and they ’re in special society – not many carmakers would be capable to make a return on this sort of investment by servicing the secular population ) .
security department demand being what they are , popemobiles are made to resist ravishment or ambush , a Mercedes specialty . It ’s an impressive exploit , especially study all that Methedrine . Popemobiles are well tell apart for the telltalebulletproof glassplatform on the back , where the Pope can be seen by onlookers , but that ’s not a guarantee since there have been exceptions to the principle . Oh , and we should remark that only the prescribed popemobile gets the apostolic seal on its doors .
Popemobiles are generally finished with a lovely , majestic red carpet to class - up the Pope ’s entries and going , and a white leather interior . Mercedes even has an prescribed exclusive paint color – Vatican Mystic White . No official glasses on rim size or in - dash electronics are usable … but even still , the most recent of popemobiles have definitely evolved in style .
A Dossier of Holy Rollers
Not all popemobiles have come in from the same mildew ( and pot were n’t even clean – that ’s a late trend ) . fit in to Jalopnik , there were n’t rigorous standards for popemobiles until Pope John Paul II was shoot right in St. Peter ’s Square and the Vatican realized the indigence for good surety . Until 1981 , an unofficial popemobile was often slap together by whatever country the Pope happen to be chatter and the motion was graciously accept for the duration of the stay [ source : Wojdyla ] . An assassination effort on one ’s own place turf , however , could understandably inspire one heck of a " Come - to - Jesus " meeting , and from then ahead , an prescribed semi from the Vatican fleet accompanied papal travel at all clock time .
The first Mercedes - Benz popemobile , a Nürburg 460 , was given to Pius XI in 1930 . Mercedes followed up 30 years later with a 300D Landaulet . The 1960s saw four new popemobiles , though : a 1964 Lincoln Continental ( for stateside change of location , of course of action ) , a 1965 Mercedes 600 Pullman , a 1966 Mercedes 300 SEL Landaulet and a 1967 Mercedes 300 SEL .
In the 1970s , things get a bit more interesting as popemobiles began to vaguely and gradually resemble more modern versions . When a Polish cardinal took the pencil lead ( we know him as John Paul II ) he helped design a trilled throne based on an FCS Star ( a Polish truck that was mostly used for firefighting , but looks more like a troop transporter ) . The FCS Star was groundbreaking for its elevated platform and broad lily-white outside panels . A modified Ford Transit truck continued this root .
Then Mercedes jumped on the livid truck vogue in 1980 , providing a G230 truck with a glass - enclosed rear political platform and a Peugeot truck follow courting in 1981 . The year 1982 saw three new popemobiles : a Seat hand truck , a Range Rover ( noteworthy for being the first bulletproof popemobile design ) and a Leyland operose - responsibility hand truck for travel around the United Kingdom . A GMC Sierra and another Mercedes limo ( the first to be fullyarmored ) rounded out the decade .
There have been bigger time straddle between new car in more recent years . The 1990s were rather uneventful : yet another Mercedes limo ( a drop - top , this fourth dimension ! ) and a bus topology supply for a trip to Mexico . In 2002 , the Vatican received a Mercedes ML 430 , fully watertight with the now - standard glassed - in political program . Along came a Fiat Campagnola in 2004 , but that was limited to Vatican City change of location due to its lack of enclosure . Then in 2007 , the Vatican requested a popemobile that could be exchange from full - protection to spread out - air . A Mercedes G500 SUV was modified with a fold windscreen and handrails so the Pope could catch a nice breeze .
Pope Benedict XVI ( who resigned in February 2013 ) was very interested about the surroundings , so in 2012 , he had an choice popemobile alter from an electrical Renault Kangoo Van ZE . The Renault ’s chicken feed bedchamber was n’t watertight , but the Pope used it mostly when vacationing in Castel Gandolfo , a coastal town about 15 miles ( 24.1 km ) from Rome , where security protocol was a bit less severe [ rootage : Torchinsky ] . And at the end of 2012 , Mercedes play in the latest popemobile ( describe on the previous page ) . What a mellisonant gift – and just in time for Christmas , too !
Though a bit ill-chosen to summarize , the confusion about official and unofficial popemobiles can go to some entertaining traditional knowledge . One popemobile urban fable tells the story of a humble fourth - generation Volkswagen hatchback door . Before Pope Benedict XVI was elected , he possess a VW Golf he ’d buy novel in 1999 . ( See ? Popes do love VWs ! ) When he accept the pontificate in 2005 , he sell it . So the famous Golf was never an prescribed popemobile , popular to contrary belief – it was owned by the cardinal , not by the Vatican , and it did n’t come close to meet a popemobile ’s ( rather whippy ) security checklist . Even though the small Golf was finally acquire by an online casino for packaging design and then relisted for sales agreement in February 2013 , chances are slender that it ’ll land back in the former Pope ’s private road . For one matter , he probably ca n’t give it anymore ( the cassino is trust to get at least £ 127,000 ) ; for another , he ’s 85 age old now and really has n’t had the need to drive himself anywhere for almost 10 years . It ’s been 100 since anyone else has left the pontificate , so there ’s no precedent for how a former Alexander Pope gets around town . We ’d think the Vatican can in all probability spare a gently - used Mercedes limo and a driver .
Lots More Information
When I begin researching this story , I was surprised to discover that " popemobile " is actually the favored condition for the official apostolic transport . I ’d get word the word before , of course of instruction , but always put on it was a tongue - in - cheek , colloquial term . For lack of anything better to call it , I suppose . But really , how … undignified . Even the dewy-eyed term " Presidential Limo " has a lot more panache ( even if it does sound like the name of a flee - by - night chauffeur servicing ) .
Ca n’t Mercedes number up with one of their tiptop - ingenious combinations of letters and numbers ? The outgoing PB - XVI could get a mannikin year elevate to PF - I – or something like that , anyway . It just seems like the Vatican – no stranger to gilding the lily – could do a little better … but that ’s enough pontificating , for now .
