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Your question proved more difficult to answer than we had anticipated. Many of the vehicles used to carry Pope John Paul II, including a number of papal limousines, are called Pope Mobiles, but we figured you meant the distinctive-looking vehicle with the bulletproof booth from which the pontiff stands to wave and greet the throngs. This type of vehicle made its debut in 1981, after an assassination attempt left the pope wounded. According to a number of sources, the original Pope Mobile was a modified Range Rover. But after conducting a number of searches and uncovering images of
a variety of vehicles, including a Mercedes Benz and a six-wheel drive Leyland T 45 used to transport the pope, we concluded that there is no single papal vehicle these days. It appears his Holiness uses different cars in different countries. References to various types of Pope Mobiles turned up all over the Web. From a Russian news site, we learned that the "third model," whatever it is, was produced by a Polish company and is powered by a noiseless electric engine. While a post on UrbanDictionary.com
informed us that at least one model of the Pope Mobile was made in Letchworth, England. Whatever the ride, driving the pope can be an unforgettable experience. Read about it in this firsthand account by Indian chauffeur Chet Ram.
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