Pope Benedict XVI to get New Wheels?

Of the over twenty Popemobiles in existence, several of these multi-ton vehicles reside in the Vatican Garage, though a few,

Of the over twenty Popemobiles in existence, several of these multi-ton vehicles reside in the Vatican Garage. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Canada)

including the Range Rover, are now a part of personal collections. Slightly older Popemobiles, including the coaches and carriages which early Popes rode in, are housed in the Vatican Carriage Museum. Interestingly, whichever vehicle is used is equipped with a license plate that reads "SCV 1", Italian for "Stato della Citta del Vaticano", or Vatican City State.

It's also rumoured that as a sponsor of this year's World Youth Days, Volkswagen will be donating over one hundred vehicles for the event's comprehensive shuttle fleet service. While they won't be as specially-designed as this one-off Touareg, expect to see VW's arsenal of practical people-movers, such as the 'T5' MultiVan, mid-size Sharan minivan, plus the compact, Golf-based Touaran 'MPV' in action. Unfortunately, these vehicles, however cleverly designed they are, are currently unavailable in North America.