Just two days away from stepping down, Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) is also hitting the headlines for different reasons, as news that the pontiff's VW Golf has been listed on eBay by its current owner, online casino firm GoldenPalace.com, emerges.
 The Pope bought the VW Golf new in 1999 |
Having sold the grey VW Golf when he was appointed to the role of head of the Catholic Church in 2005, the car made its eBay debut soon after, when its 21 year old German buyer, Benjamin Halbe, became aware of the identity of the Golf's previous owner.
Halbe paid just €9,999 ($13,084) for the vehicle.
Cashing in on Ratzinger's international standing, the car made £127,000 ($192,807) for Halbe when it was bought by the online casino firm GoldenPalace.com in 2005.
The car's initial eBay listing shattered all previous viewing records, when it received more than 10m hits.
The Golf has not been driven since 2005, has 75,000 miles on the clock, and boasts a cassette player.
Profits from the sale are to benefit the UK charity Habitat for Humanity. Bidding closes on March 2.
Here at Paul Fraser Collectibles we are currently offering this unique piece of red carpet, which was touched by Pope Benedict's red shoes in 2010.
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