Pope's Lamborghini auctioned for nearly $1 million

Vatican City, May 14, 2018 / 10:21 am

A custom Lamborghini Huracan that had been donated to Pope Francis last year was auctioned for nearly $1 million on Saturday, with proceeds going to charity.

The car was auctioned at Sotheby's in London, and went to an unidentified buyer for $950,000, Fox News reports.

The sports car had been donated to Pope Francis by the Italian automaker last year. It was presented to Francis in front of his residence at the Vatican's Saint Martha Guesthouse Nov. 15. He blessed and autographed it in the presence of top executives from the auto company.

All proceeds will go to three papal-selected charitable causes: the restoration of villages on the Nineveh Plain in Iraq, assisting victims of human trafficking, and missionary work in Africa.

At a base cost of roughly $250,000, the Huracán made its debut at the March 2014 Geneva Auto show, and was released in the second quarter of the year, quickly becoming Lamborghini's most popular and best-selling car.

The name, which is Spanish for "hurricane," is reminiscent of the fighting bull "Huracán" that fought in the late 1800s and was known for its courage. The choice of the car's name follows suit with Lamborghini's style, which often uses historic Spanish fighting bulls as a scheme for naming vehicles.

It has 610 metric horsepower and 4-wheel drive, as well as a naturally aspirated V10 engine and a full-LED lighting system. In 2014, the Huracán was named "Supercar of the Year" by car magazine Top Gear.

With six different models of the Huracán on the market, the papal-version marks a special 7th edition - white with gold lines running along the hood and angles of the car's body - created specifically for Pope Francis.

Francis has done similar auctions for high-end gifts in the past, with each item going for well beyond its market sale price.

In 2013, he was given a Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide, which was sold to a private buyer for roughly $327,000, far exceeding the $16 - 22,000 pre-sale estimate.

For his September 2015 visit to the United States, FIAT Chrysler made a pair of FIAT 500Ls available for the Pope to use during his time in Philadelphia. Both of those cars were auctioned off to support local charities.