- For the Perth, Australia indie rock band, see Popemobile (band)
The popemobile is an informal term for the specially designed vehicle used by the pope during public appearances. Several models have been used: the first time Pope John Paul II travelled to his home country, the white painted vehicle (one of two made) was based on the Polish mark Star, a small truck from a firm in Starachowice with a speed of 6 kilometres per hour; another was created in 1979 for Pope John Paul II's first visit to Ireland, bigger than the one used today in the Vatican; yet another is a modified Mercedes-Benz with a small windowed "room" in the back where the Pope stands. Since the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in 1981, the popemobile was fitted with bulletproof glass on four sides. However it was sometimes driven with open windows.
Several vehicles used for the Pope's overseas visits remain in the host country and were reused on his subsequent visits. The Mexican Papamobil for example was brought out into the public during John Paul II's funeral. Similarly, the Philippines automobile manufacturer Francisco motors produced the custom popemobile for the 1995 papal visit. It cost millions from voluntary contributions in the private sector and, as with the Irish vehicle, it had bulletproof windows, bombproof parts and it was inspected by the Swiss guards with success. When John Paul II died, this popemobile was briefly borrowed by parish officials of the Quiapo Church for display. It became an instant pilgrimage site to ordinary Filipino devotees who could not afford to go to the Vatican for the Pope's burial ceremonies. [1]
Past Popemobiles were adapted Mercedes-Benz G-Class off-road vehicles, and current models are actually based on the ML-series of off-road vehicles, hugely popular in the United States. For John Paul II's visit to England, Land Rover produced a specially-modified version of one of its vehicles, which now resides at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas.
Ford also produced a series of "popemobiles" for the Vatican based on their presidential limos, for example the custom built 1964 Lehmann-Peterson was used by Pope Paul VI in his 1965 New York visit, and was reused in 1970 in Bogota.
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