For Sale: Two of Philly’s Popemobiles

The Fiat 500L is a cute car – I myself have a friend who drives one. It’s sporty, roomier than it looks from the outside, and gets decent gas mileage (33 m.p.g. highway, 25 city). If you buy a 500L at the dealership, you can expect to pay about $20,000. But there are two dark-colored Fiats that are expected to fetch a lot more than that at auction in Philadelphia… because they are the cars that the Pope drove around in while he was in town.

The auction for one of the Fiats will be held January 29th at the Philadelphia Auto Show during the Black Tie Tailgate event. The second Fiat will be on display at the Auto Show and may be auctioned off later. As is appropriate to the pope’s message of compassion and giving, the proceeds from the auction(s) will benefit various charities. According to Philly.com, “Half the proceeds will go to Catholic Charities for family, housing, and homeless services. The second 50 percent will be split among Mercy Hospice, a recovery home for women and children; la Casa del Carmen, a family service center in North Philadelphia; and four special-education schools in the archdiocese.”

Philadelphia Archdiocese spokesman Ken Gavin said that the timing of the donation of the two cars was “providential.” The cars were borrowed directly from Fiat and returned after the pope’s visits, but Fiat donated the vehicles to the archdiocese. The Secret Service has verified that the VIN numbers on the car match up with those used by the Pope in September. Fiat Chrysler America has made some small changes on the vehicles, such as darkening the window tint, which was lightened to allow better visibility on the pope as he waved to crowds.

Interested in purchasing one of the Philadelphia Popemobiles? Bids can be made in-person or remotely.

The pope showing up in the Fiat 500Ls made such an impression that it generated buzz about the small cars across America.