‘Tis the season for giving thanks and counting our blessings as we approach Thanksgiving week here in America, only to transition into the holiday month for more blessings thereafter. And so it’s rather fitting that Lamborghini blessed Pope Francis with a one-off rear-wheel-drive Huracán LP580-2 coupe so that he could donate it to charity.
Due to be auctioned off at RM Sotheby’s on May 12, 2018, His Holiness confirmed that all proceeds will be donated to various organizations around the world.
The proceeds will be donated to the reconstruction of the Nineveh Plain in Iraq, provided by the Pontifical Foundation “Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre,” or Aid to the Church in Need. The Nineveh Plain in Iraq is a region perceived as a refuge for Assyrian Christians in Iraq, as after focused attacks in August of 2004, the city was left in shambles. Over the years, the region has been battered by armed political conflicts. Now, the Pontifical Foundation seeks to help rebuild.
The Pope John XXII Community will also receive a portion of the donation, an organization dedicated to helping women who are victims of heinous crimes like human trafficking; and two Italy-based activist groups who help with various projects providing for underprivileged individuals throughout Africa.
The special rear-wheel drive Lamborghini Huracán itself is painted to pay tribute to the colors of the Vatican City. Its hue is specifically named Bianco Monocerus with Giallo Tiberino, compliments of Lamborghini’s “Ad Personam” customization division. Ad Personam is to Lamborghini as BMW Individual is to BMW or designo is to Mercedes-Benz.
Otherwise, it’s still a Huracán, with a monstrous naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 with 572 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque. Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission it can hit 62 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds for a top speed of 198 mph. We doubt Pope Francis himself would make full use of this blistering speed potential. But it’s still entertaining to imagine the Pope himself hooning a near-600 horsepower supercar.
Instead, the Vatican City is all about trying to be CO2 production-free and thus, the Pontiff himself gets around in an upgraded Opel Ampera-e, which is Europe’s version of the Chevrolet Volt. Previously, Pope Francis was seen being transported around the United States in a Fiat 500L, while his personal car was a 1984 Renault 4 with around 190,000 miles on it, gifted to the Pope from a priest in Verona, Italy.
This is also not the first time the Pope was gifted a vehicle to auction off for charity. Back in 2014, Harley-Davidson gave a Super Dyna Glide to the Pope, who auctioned it off for $327,000. Ferrari gifted the final Enzo supercar to the Pope as well.
