Pope Francis gifted his very own £160,000 Lamborghini Huracan – but will it replace the Popemobile?
POPE Francis has been gifted his very own custom Lamborghini supercar, but we shouldn't expect to see him driving it out of Vatican City any time soon.
His Holiness was given the brand new white Huracan, which comes complete with gold trimming to match his robes, by the Italian car manufacturer on Wednesday.
The Pope has already put the Lambo up for auction to raise money for charity rather than give up his trademark Popemobile.
But before sending it off to Sotheby's auction house, the pontiff scrawled his signature on the 610bhp sports car's bonnet and gave it his official blessing.
Usually worth approximately £160,000, the pope's signature, along with custom gold stripes and wing mirrors, are expected to see the supercar's value soar past that figure at auction.
The money raised will go to four charitable projects, including one aimed at rebuilding the homes and churches of persecuted Christians in the Nineveh Plains in Iraq.
The Vatican said Wednesday that the aim is to allow displaced Christians "to finally return to their roots and recover their dignity."
The Lamborghini will also help fund an Italian association helping victims of human trafficking and prostitution rings, as well as two organisations active in Africa aimed at supporting vulnerable women and children.
It is not the first time the Argentine has received a high-speed gift.
In 2014 he was given a Harley Davidson motorbike and jacket, both of which he auctioned off for charity.
The bike sold for 25 times its retail value at £248,000, while the jacket fetched a whopping £59,000.
Pope Francis insists on using his open-topped Popemobile to move through the crowds at masses at both the Vatican and on foreign trips, despite security fears.
He has stayed faithful to the white all-terrain vehicles with bubble tops despite an accident in Colombia this year in which he lost his balance while it was moving and ended up with a black eye.
