10 interesting facts about the Popemobile
We take for granted that the head of the Catholic Church travels around the world waving at spectators from behind the glass of a little bubble attached to the back of a car, but the Popemobile is actually a pretty recent introduction.Especially when you consider that there have been 266 popes, who have ruled for a total of over 1,984 years! Since the early 20th century, countless tweaks have been made to existing vehicles to enhance their design, security and function for popes' tours around the world. Here are just a handful of notable moments in the history of papal mobility.
1. By the time the tradition of the Sedia Gestatoria (the name given to the practice of 12 footmen carrying the pope on a throne, high in the air) fell out of favour in 1978, popes had been cruising in cars for years. Until 1929, Pope Pius XI was confined to the Vatican because of a dispute with the Italian government, but once that was resolved, he celebrated by taking a Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 for a spin. The car was said to have controls alongside the pope's "throne" in the back so that he could alert his driver when he wanted to go left, right, faster or home.
2. Two world wars broke out and three popes died before Pope Paul VI was handed the keys to a custom Mercedes-Benz 300D landaulet in 1960. At the time, it was the most expensive car in the world, and because of its convertible soft-top and special handles, Paul was able to stand safely to greet gathered crowds.
3. Even though popes began travelling internationally in the '50s, it wasn't until Pope Paul VI's trips in the '60s and '70s that the design of his transport steered more towards the massive utility vehicles that became synonymous with a pope on the move.
4. With the appointment of a Polish pope – Karol Józef Wojtyla, aka John Paul II – in 1978, the Popemobile became woven with a political undercurrent. During a visit to Victory Square in Poland, JP rode in an armoured FSC Star – a Polish-built truck usually used by firefighters – which he had a hand in designing. Some saw the industrial vehicle as a show of strength and defiance against the Soviets, who were in power in the country at the time.
5. The shape of Popemobiles to come was established in 1980, with the Mercedes G230. Its boxy design, elevated viewing position with transparent walls, white leather bench (to replace the throne in previous models), recessed lighting and "mystic white finish" would all become standard in future iterations.
6. When JP became the first pope to visit Ireland in 1989, he made a dramatic entrance in a heaving 15-seat Ford Transit. From 2012 until very recently, the Dublin Wax Museum, which acquired the vehicle and switched out the chassis for a Mercedes, was hiring it out for city tours and bachelor/ette parties at $385 an hour.
7. While the pope's security has always been a priority, the same attention was only paid to his vehicle following an assassination attempt against John Paul II, which happened in May 1981 during a regular ride through St Peter's Square in a Fiat 1107-Nuova Campagnola. Since then, papal cars have been fitted with bulletproof glass and their bodywork finished with bulletproof glazing.
8. When it's cruising the street, the current Popemobile travels at around 16km/h, but it's rumoured to reach 257km/h in case Pope Francis needs to make a quick escape. Speaking of Fran, he's not a fan of the ‘Popemobile' nickname (because it puts distance between him and the people) or the glass-encased ride favoured by his predecessors. He calls it a "sardine can" and much prefers an open-air option, to be closer to the people. Of the security risks that come with this choice, he told a newspaper in Barcelona: "It's true that anything could happen, but let's face it – at my age I don't have much to lose."
9. Final facts: While Mercedes-Benz made the first Popemobile (and 11 more since then), many other manufacturers have tried their hand at designing holy wheels. Fiat, GMC, Hyundai, Isuzu, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover and Toyota are just a few.
10. Religious rego: The Popemobile isn't exempt from number plates. Each plate bears the acronym SCV – for Stato della Città del Vaticano (Vatican City State) – and a number. Pope Francis's current Ford Focus has the plate ‘SCV 00919'.
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