Popemobile: Mercedes gives Pope Benedict XVI an open-top G 500

Popemobile - Mercedes-Benz Open-Top G 500

Mercedes-Benz today announced that it has given Pope Benedict XVI a brand new spankin’ white, open-top G 500 to drive around in during his public appearances on Wednesdays. The brand new Popemobile was built over two-years in cooperation with the Vatican.

The open-top G 500 comes with a folding windscreen and hand-rails for the Pope to hang onto while he’s waving to the crowd. The Popemobile is painted in Vatican mystic white, with an even whiter interior and is accessed via red steps in the back of the SUV.

Of course let’s not forget about the other Mercedes M an S-Class that the Pope has at his disposal, all with special protection.

Click through for the press release.

Popemobile – Mercedes-Benz Open-Top G 500:

Popemobile - Mercedes-Benz Open-Top G 500 Popemobile - Mercedes-Benz Open-Top G 500 

 

Press Release:

New Mercedes-Benz for the Pope

Stuttgart/Rome ““ In future, Pope Benedict XVI will present himself to the 40,000 or so pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square in a shining white, open-top Mercedes-Benz G-Class during his public audiences on Wednesdays. The new “Popemobile” was created over a two-year development period in close consultation with the Vatican, and has now been personally handed over to the Holy Father.

This open official car, which the Head of the Catholic Church requested for use during fine weather, was developed by Mercedes-Benz on the basis of the G 500. It is equipped with a folding windscreen and hand-rails, and like its predecessors it is painted in the Vatican mystic white finish. The interior is likewise white, and is accessed via steps lined in red at the rear. The Pope holds his audiences in a standing position, so that he is easily visible to all his flock.

The Holy Father is continuing a long tradition with the new Popemobile from Mercedes-Benz. Pope Pius XI was the first to receive a Mercedes-Benz as an official car in 1930 – a Nürburg 460 Pullman limousine. Over the following decades Mercedes-Benz regularly provided the Vatican with automobiles which had been specially converted for the use of the Holy Father.

Today the Pope has several Mercedes-Benz cars at his disposal. In addition to the new G 500 Cabriolet, the fleet currently includes M and S-Class models with special protection.

 

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