Popemobile

Rare card · No. 61785

The popemobile (Latin: papacinetum or papocinetum; Italian: papamobile) is a specially-designed motor vehicle used by the pope for public appearances. It is the successor to the sedia gestatoria (portable throne) and is designed to make the pope more visible when greeting large crowds. There have been many different designs for the pope's method of vehicular transport. Some are open-air, while others have bulletproof glass walls to enclose the pope, deemed necessary following the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Some allow the pope to sit, while others are designed to accommodate him standing. The Roman Curia selects an appropriate vehicle for each usage depending upon the level of security needed, distance and speed of travel, and the pope's preferences. Mercedes-Benz has been the most frequent provider of papal vehicles since it provided the Vatican with its first automobile in 1930. The Vatican acquired its first electric vehicle for transporting the pope in December...

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