Photo Gallery: The Popemobile Over the Years

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M-Class Mercedes: The popemobile currently in use is a modified Mercedes SUV, seen here on a papal visit to Spain in the summer of 2011. The same vehicle will be waiting for the pope when he arrives for his tour of Germany. The vehicle boasts large windows, an elevated, throne-like seat, bullet-proof glass and special plastics. If the situation allows it, the pope can open the side windows to be nearer to believers.

Foto: Sergio Barrenechea/ dpa

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Mercedes Nürburg 460: The history of this one-of-a-kind government vehicle stretches back over 80 years. In the summer of 1930, Daimler-Benz gave Pope Pius XI a stretch version of its Nürburg 460 model. The Holy Father was thoroughly impressed by the vehicle after taking it for a spin around the gardens of Vatican City. In the Mercedes archives, it is noted that he raved about the car as "a miracle of modern engineering."

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Cadillac Deville: General Motors built Pope John Paul II this modified Cadillac Deville for his 1999 trip to Mexico. The vehicle is equipped with an elevated platform for the papal chair, extra-wide doors, easy-entry steps and the official seals and flags of the Vatican.

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Seat Marbella: This version of the popemobile was probably the smallest one a Holy Father has ever ridden inside. The car was born of necessity. When Pope John Paul II visited Barcelona in 1982, his Mercedes pope mobile was too wide and too tall to go through the entrance to the soccer stadium he was scheduled to say a Mass in. This miniature and somewhat less glamorous vehicle provided the solution.

Foto: Tom Grünweg

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Mercedes Type 600: The pope received this stretch version of a Mercedes 600 in 1965. The car boasted extra-wide back doors and a retractable roof. The majestic vehicle was used until the early 1980s.

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Lancia Thesis Giubileo: In 1999, the Italian car maker Lancia gave Pope John Paul II the "Giubileo," a prototype of the "Thesis" executive car, in celebration of the new millennium. The car had a seat for the pope made of red velvet and silk as well as a removable roof panel. The vehicle continues to be used by the pontiff.

Foto: DPA

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G-Model Mercedes: The boxy, robust G-model was the first Mercedes SUV used by the pope. The vehicle was first built for Pope John Paul II's visit to Germany in 1980. It boasted a removable "aquarium-like" transparent superstructure and elevated viewing position. Several versions of this vehicle have appeared since then, and one of them is still occasionally used by Pope Benedict XVI.

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Range Rover: Range Rovers are more typically found in the garages of James Bond and the Queen of England, but a few have also made it into the papal car pool. When Pope John Paul II visited Great Britain in 1982, he left the Mercedes at home and toured the country in this modified Range Rover.

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Lincoln Continental: This powerful American classic was modified for a 1965 visit to New York by Pope Paul VI. The 6.4-meter (21-foot) giant offered an elevated seat, a see-through folding top, a guard against wind and rain and a loudspeaker system. Three years later, when the pope took the car on a visit to Bogota, Columbia, it had to be supplied with special fuel from the U.S. Air Force owing to the city's elevation. The car would later be used for many other celebrity events, including the parade for the astronauts on NASA's "Apollo" missions.

Foto: Bonhams/ Theo Civitello

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Mercedes S 500: In the late 1990s, the Vatican got its hands on this stylish modified S 500 Mercedes. The half-back convertible boasted a V-8 engine with 320 horsepower. The single back seat had a hydraulic lifting system, and the wall dividing the front and back seats had a built-in icon of Maria.

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Star: While on a nine-day tour of Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II used a radically modified truck manufactured by the Polish car maker Star. It was the only Eastern-bloc vehicle ever used as a popemobile.

Foto: AP