Fiat Popemobile Sells for $82K at Auction

It’s an iconic image: the Pope waving out of the window of his dark car as he is driven by to greet the crowds. Such were the pictures taken by press when the pontiff visited Philadelphia. Now, one of those dark cars has been auctioned off.

The pope waved to crowds. His black Fiat is now one of those vehicles has been auctioned off.

The Fiat 500L that was one of the vehicles used by Pope Francis for transportation during his September trip to Philadelphia has been sold at auction. It fetched $82 thousand, a pretty penny for a car that normally sells for under $20 thousand. The car was auctioned off at the Black Tie Tailgate event that opened the Philadelphia Auto Show, going on right now at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The Fiat was one of seven vehicles (six Fiats and one open-sided Jeep) that were used to shuttle the Pope around during his history-making trip to Philadelphia on his first-ever trip to America.

Described as the “Pope Francis Philly Fiat,” the opening bid on the vehicle was $35 thousand. Within a minute the bidding had escalated to $55 thousand, then $70 thousand and finally $82 thousand. The winning bidders ultimately beat out 19 other bidders. According to the Philadelphia archdiocese, proceeds from the auction will benefit charity, as well as the archdiocese’s special education schools. The sale was conducted by Max Spann Real Estate and Auction.

The lucky winners of the Fiat auction were Michael and Kate Chapman, owners of the Chapman Auto Group. The Chapmans own seven auto showrooms in southeastern Philadelphia. According to an interview Michael Chapman gave Philly.com, he is planning on putting the Fiat in his Horsham showroom.

A second Fiat that Pope Francis used during his trip is on display for the length of the Philadelphia Auto Show, which runs through next Sunday.