Photos : Evolution Of The Popemobile, From The 460 Nürburg Limousine To Electric G-Class

Photos : The evolution of the popemobile, from the Mercedes-Benz 460 Nürburg limousine to the latest, the electric G-Class.

The 460 Nürburg limousine donated to Pope Pius XI on 14 November 1930 by Daimler-Benz to commemorate the Conciliation between the Church and the Italian State is considered to have been to first “official” popemobile.

“A masterpiece of modern engineering,” the Holy Father enthused when he climbed out of the Pullman limousine after enjoying an one-hour trial run in the new Popemobile.

Since then and nearly a decade after, several popes (9 excluding Leo XIV) has rolled around to special events across the world in a variety of custom-built Popemobiles from different car brands.

Below are some of the popemobiles that have been created for popes to use for public appearances around the world.

Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 Limousine (1930)

Pope Pius XI received a Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 Limousine as a present from Daimler-Benz AG (now Mercedes-Benz) on November 14th 1930.

Mercedes-Benz 300 d (1960)

The first modern model after World War II was a Mercedes-Benz 300 d – the “Adenauer-Mercedes”. It was handed over to Pope John XXIII in 1960.

Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman (1965)

Pope Paul VI receives a Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet on September 9, 1965.

Custom-built Lincoln Continental by Lehmann-Peterson (1965)

A custom-built Lincoln Continental by Lehmann-Peterson was used by Pope Paul VI during a pastoral visit to New York City in 1965.

Polish Star 660 truck (1979)

John Paul II was transported in the white vehicle based on the Polish Star 660 truck from a firm FSC Star when he traveled to his home country the first time in 1979.

Fiat Campagnola (1981)

John Paul II was riding in Fiat Campagnola in May 1981 during assassination attempt on his life in 1981.

Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon (1981)

The first popemobile to be fitted with bulletproof glass is the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, following the assassination attempt on John Paul II

Range Rover (1982)

Two Range Rover-based Popemobile fitted with bulletproof glass was created for John Paul II’s visit to United Kingdom (UK) in 1982.

Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL (1985)

In 1985, the Vatican’s fleet was extended by the addition of a special version of the Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL (W126 S-Class), followed in 1997 by a long-wheelbase landaulet version of the S 500.

Mercedes ML 430 (2002)

In 2002, Mercedes presented a new ML-based Popemobile to the Pope. Like the G-Wagon, it has a rear canopy covered by ballistic glass.

Mitsubishi-based popemobile (2014)

Pope Francis used a Mitsubishi-based popemobile for his 2014 visit to the West Bank. As part of his final wishes, he requested that the popemobile be turned into a health clinic for the children of Gaza.

Isuzu D-Max (2015)

During a visit to the Philippines in 2015, the Pope was presented with a popemobile based on the Isuzu D-Max.

Jeep Wrangler (2015)

During his visit to the United States and Ecuador, Pope Francis rode in two different custom-made Jeep Wranglers.

“A Jeep Wrangler will be used as the popemobile in the USA (like the one used in Ecuador in July 2015),” the Vatican press office said in a statement.

Dacia Duster (2015)

Back in 2019, Pope Francis took delivery of a new customized Dacia Duster SUV. The new popemobile was a gift from Renault-owned Romanian brand, Dacia.

Pindad Maung MV3 Tangguh (2024)

For his visit to Indonesia in 2024, Pope Francis travelled in a locally-built Tiger MV3 Pope Mobile built by Indonesian state defence company, PT Pindad.

Toyota Innova Zenix Minivan (2024)

Also, during his 3-day apostolic visit to Muslim-majority Indonesia, Pope Francis also used a Toyota Innova Zenix Minivan with the special SCV1 number plate.

Mercedes G-Class (2024)

In December 2024, Mercedes-Benz presented the Holy Father with a popemobile based on the iconic the G-Class, only this time the SUV uses an electric powertrain – making it the first-ever electric Popemobile.

• See Also : 13 Interesting Facts About The Popemobile You Probably Never Knew