The only car the late Pope John Paul was believed to have ever owned is up for auction, and the seller expects it to fetch $1.5 million to $5 million US. The light blue 1975 Ford Escort GL was originally bought at auction in 1996 for $102,000 by Illinois businessman Jim Rich, who is now selling it.
Rich said he remembers the day in 1998 when he took possession of the car. In the company of a translator, Rich handed Pope John Paul a cheque, and the Pope handed Rich the car keys. Not much was said between the two, and Rich admits he was nervous.
"I handed him a cheque, and he handed me his keys, and I said, 'Can I take a picture of you with the keys?' and he laughed."
The Pope used the money he got for the car to fund the expansion of the Polish Pilgrim Home in Rome and for scholarships and expanding the Catholic University in Lublin, Poland.
Rich said the car comes with about 100,000 papal kilometres, plus a couple more he put on it. He's debating whether to include the rosary beads that came with the car.
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