The Pope has a new set of wheels. VW's head honcho, Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder, has presented Pope Benedict XVI with a customized long wheelbase W12 Phaeton. The car is trimmed out to maximize the Holy Father's privacy, comfort and security (translation: it's armored) as he's shuttled about in the 450-horsepower super-sled.
More photos of the presentation of the car to the Pope can be found after the jump.
[Source: Volkswagen]
PRESS RELEASE:
Pischetsrieder presents Phaeton to Pope Benedict XVI
Wolfsburg/Vatican City, 18 October 2006 - Pope Benedict XVI has been presented with a specially equipped Phaeton by the Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder. "It is a particular honor for us to have the privilege of providing Pope Benedict XVI with a fitting limousine", said Pischetsrieder during the presentation in the Vatican City on Wednesday.
The extended wheelbase version of the Volkswagen Phaeton is finished in black and is powered by a 450 hp, 6.0 l W12 engine. The limousine has been specially equipped to meet the comfort, privacy and security requirements of the Holy Father.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
David F @ Oct 19th 2006 5:44PM
Does he just sit around all day and get free cars? How do I sign up for this 'Pope' gig?
alex hofstetter @ Oct 19th 2006 5:56PM
That's one way to get rid of the Phaetons
Alex @ Oct 19th 2006 6:02PM
I guess the pope is not too woried about the rising cost of gas or our environment. The Phaeton W12 gets 12mph city and 18mph on the highway
John @ Oct 19th 2006 6:12PM
Why do religious leaders always drive big black sedans? the pope has a black phaeton, LDS prophet Gordan B. Hinckley has a black Lexus LS, and all his apostles have black avalons.
ruggels @ Oct 19th 2006 6:33PM
Hey Alex, when you stumble across some environmentally friendly B5/B6/B7 rated sedans, kindly link us to them. I am under the assumption that armor plating a limo adds weight to the vehicle which may just necessitate a more powerful engine then, say, a yaris. Oddly, other armored sedans of this size seem to achieve the same mileage - it must be a conspiracy, i doubt it has anything to do with the need to motivate such heft, heft required to keep occupants alive.
John I can’t stop laughing at the dichotomy of lexus/toyota ownership in the LDS church, delightful. Maybe the Pontif should give his Bishops Passats to assure they too understand, via his car choice, that he is #1 - lol.
john @ Oct 19th 2006 7:09PM
I think he has a sponsorship deal with VW.
Look at this article he was given a V8 XC90 a few months ago.
http://www.4wd4sale.com/sitefirstpage.cfm?siteaction=sc2&mid=002&cmid=002.136&scdid=443&sr=26&id=400
emulous1974 @ Oct 19th 2006 8:25PM
How many cars does the Catholic Church need? I mean if they pay for them, fine, but giving cars to an organization that has more money that a lot of nations on this planet seems ridiculous and rather stupid marketing considering all the stuff the catholic church tries to hurt (IMO).
Howard Kerr @ Oct 19th 2006 8:56PM
To David F.
The Pope has NO earthly property, it all belongs to the Catholic Church. He no more owns this or any other car PRESENTED to him in the same way that President Bush doesn't own Air Force One.
The Pope also doesn't "just sit around all day and get free cars." In case that cave you live in has bad TV reception, the Pope, among other things, travels around the world, says Mass everyday (health willing), and prays a great deal. He is, after all, responsible for the souls of ALL Catholics and like all previous Popes takes that responsibility very seriously. I'm sure Pope John Paul II would have loved to have just sat around instead of exposing himself to assasination attempts. Another one of the perks of being a Pope?
undercover soul brother @ Oct 19th 2006 10:21PM
Cause that's the way we roll up in here, son! jay-z?! ain't got nothin' on my shit! Holla!
2007 Mustang @ Oct 19th 2006 11:48PM
"The Phaeton W12 gets 12mph city and 18mph on the highway"
Yea and I bet his stretched/armored version gets less than half that.
autobots @ Oct 20th 2006 12:31AM
#7
Do you really know what you're talking about? Get a clue before you post your rather, "ridiculous and stupid" comments.
Sam @ Oct 20th 2006 2:02AM
I believe the last car that was given to him (I saw it on Autoblog) he sold for charity. I beleive it was a phaeton maybe. I wonder if he will use this one, or stick with the popemobile and sell this for charity as well...
christopher @ Oct 20th 2006 9:12AM
Looks like we have another candidate for MTV's Pimp My Ride!
DRC @ Oct 20th 2006 9:16AM
Somebody should make him an around town car and a popemobile in one. Push a button and the little popemobile glass bubble could pop out of the roof. That way he wouldn't even have to change cars. Now I just need to get a patent on this great idea...
Andrew @ Oct 20th 2006 9:36AM
Some of you people have got to be kidding. This is certainly not the place to engage in religious debates... but I must point out that the pope auctioned off the Ferrari Enzo "given" to him for somewhere around $2 million, and of course it all went to charity. The automakers know that the pope won't keep the cars - it's just nice publicity for them, and the fact that the pope once "owned" it will drive up the auction price. It's a win-win situation.
This one is especially fun, giving the German pope a German car. It's probably rubbing a little salt in the wounds of the Italian church beaurocracy who haven't held the top job themselves in decades, and I hope the Holy Father has enough of a sense of humor to actually keep this one for his personal use.
Also, what better choice than the "people's car", an allegedly non-ostentatious VW, for the pope beloved by his countrymen to be seen in?
And, I wonder if VW was the first German company to give this pope an armored car? I know MB donated an armored M-class popemobile conversion to JPII a few years ago, and BMW would surely love to have him seen in a 760Li.
steve c @ Oct 20th 2006 9:47AM
Howard Ker, lighten up. David F was just being funny.
Now if I was the Pope I would head straight to the Maserati Dealership and trade it for a Quattroporte
MikeW @ Oct 20th 2006 10:13AM
I am thinking Bentley light pressure twin turbo W12 to move that 6000lb(with armor) tank.
Corey W. @ Oct 20th 2006 10:14AM
We know that Heavenly Father is always protecting the Pope, but make sure his vehicles are armored... you know.... just in case!!! HAHA
Alex Nunez @ Oct 20th 2006 11:24AM
I should note that the armoring is an assumption on my part (a safe one, imo). The mention of "security" in the press release leads me to believe that the car must be armored, considering that the Pope is always a potential target.
goat @ Oct 20th 2006 11:26AM
For anyone here who is actually interested in cars, rather than bashing the Pope or the Church, the history of papal cars is quite interesting.
Wikipedia has a small amount of info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popemobile
I once heard a half-hour radio documentary on the subject. I wish I could track it down somewhere, but don't know who did it.