"A Century of the Popemobile" will feature eight papal cars, not all of which are, strictly speaking, Popemobiles, plus the two bookend cars. According to Sandro Barbagallo, curator of the historical collections of the Vatican Museums , this is all part of a thematic connection between the vehicles and the papacy: "It all begins with a journey: that of Peter, the fisherman from Galilee who came to Rome to proclaim a message destined to span the centuries and continents." I'm not positive that Peter drove there in an S-Class, but that sure is an analogy.
๐ The Core Development
Taking it up another notch, Marc Langenbrinck, president of Mercedes-Benz Italia, said in the announcement from the Vatican , "We also hope, in a spirit of Christian humility, to inspire you to reflect on the profound meaning of the journey that began with Peter nearly two thousand years ago and is carried forward today by Pope Leo XIV." In this same spirit, please buy a Mercedes.
๐ Background & Sector Context
The Vatican Museums haven't revealed a full list of what will be on display, but the eight rides will include at least a:
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
That Nรผrburg 460 represents the first car a pope (in this case Pius XI) used as an official vehicle, a direct gift from Mercedes in 1930. That actually wasn't the first attempt at giving a pope horsepower: in 1909, Archbishop John M. Farley of New York tried to give Pope Pius X an Itala. "Tried," since the pope refused it! Apparently he liked horse-drawn carriages better.
Benchmark Telemetry & EV Fuel Savings
Put top supercars and EVs to the test in The Pit Stop Lab โ launch head-to-head 1/4-mile drag strip battles & compute EPA electric fuel cost savings.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
While everything on display will be a car that a pope officially used, the modern idea of a Popemobile with its signature transparent dome didn't emerge until 1980 with John Paul II's 230 G. That will be at the exhibition, which is pretty exciting. Prior to this innovation, the pope just rode around in the back seat, looking out the window. The current Popemobile is a Mercedes G580 EV , which Francis took one final ride in the day before he died . Today, you could spot Leo XIV riding around in it if you're at the Vatican.
