Pope Francis is no stranger to receiving gifts. That comes with the territory of being the leader of the Catholic church and arguably one of the most powerful men in the world. But the famously frugal pontiff isn’t one who enjoys the lavish side of life so when he recently took possession of a one-off Lamborghini Huracan, a gift from the Italian automaker itself, the pope did what the pope usually does: he donated it away.

It’s a bitter blow for papal paparazzi who were hoping to see the pope roar around the cobbled streets of Rome, aviator sunglasses in tow. But the pope’s preference for the simple things in life isn’t anything new. This is a man who traditionally opts to get driven around in Fiats and Fords when he’s on the road so getting inside a Lamborghini is a non-starter to begin with. So instead of taking ownership of the one-off Huracan, the pope decided to receive it from Lamborghini out of courtesy, sign the hood, and give it to RM Sotheby’s, which will then auction the supercar with the proceeds going to three of the holy father’s favorite charities. Considering how much value is placed on items that carry the pope’s signature, expect this one-off Lamborghini Huracan to fetch way more than it’s usual price of $200,000.

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Nothing out of the ordinary for Pope Francis

You have to admire Pope Francis for resisting the urge to take ownership of this Lamborghini Huracan. I certainly wouldn’t do it, though I suppose that’s why he is who he is and I am who I am. Acts like this aren’t entirely new for the men who have assumed the role of the papacy. Francis himself has given away plenty of gifts in the past, including a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in 2013. Just like with the Huracan, Francis declined to receive the gift, opting instead to sign it and send it to a Bonhams auction. That bike ended up fetching a whopping $327,000 with the proceeds going to a hostel and soup kitchen for the homeless at Rome’s main train station.

And who can forget St. John Paul the Great (formerly Pope John Paul II) declining Ferrari’s gift of a 2005 Ferrari Enzo? It wasn’t just a “standard” Enzo either; it was actually the 400th and last Enzo ever built. The provenance alone propelled that particular Enzo to sell for $6.05 million at an RM Sotheby’s auction.

It’s hard to estimate how much this one-off Huracan is going to sell for, but I expect it to handily exceed its retail price of $200,000. Apart from the fact that it has Francis, signature on the hood, this particular example also went through the Italian automaker’s Ad Personam division. That’s why it’s wearing a predominantly white body with matching papal gold trim all throughout. There hasn’t been any mention of it wearing any badges or decals signifying its association with Pope Francis, but if it did, those are going to drive the price up even more.

Let’s not forget either that the Huracan is powered by a 5.2-liter V-10 engine that produces north of 600 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Yep. Underneath all that provenance is a car that can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in under three seconds and hit a top speed of 211 mph. It’s still a supercar, folks, so bid accordingly.

Besides, the higher the figure the Huracan sells for, the better it’s going to be for the three charities that will likely split the proceeds. One of these charities helps rebuild homes and churches for Christians who were displaced out of Iraq by Islamic State terrorists while the other two focuses on providing medical aid in Africa and helping migrant women who are trafficked and forced into prostitution.

References

Lamborghini Huracan

Read our full review on the 2017 Lamborghini Huracan.

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