Pope gets $237,000 Lamborghini as gift, puts it up for auction to raise money for charity

Lamborghini gave Pope Francis a personalised white supercar on Wednesday, but he put it up for auction to raise money for charity rather than give up his trademark popemobile.

The Huracan sports car, which boasts a 610 metric horsepower, was blessed by the pontiff, who bent to scrawl his signature on its gleaming bonnet before it was sent off to Sotheby’s auction house.

The supercar usually goes for around 200,000 euros ($237,000), but this model — featuring gold stripes and gold-rimmed wing mirrors in homage to the pope’s gold-tipped stole — is expected to beat that.

The money raised will go to four charitable projects, including one aimed at rebuilding the homes and churches of persecuted Christians in the Nineveh Plains in Iraq.

The Lamborghini will also help fund an Italian association helping victims of human trafficking and prostitution rings, as well as two organisations active in Africa aimed at supporting vulnerable women and children.

Culled from AFP