View photo galleryOnly two months ago, Daimler announced that it had delivered Pope Benedict XVI his new popemobile. The Pope’s custom ride was a one-of-a-kind Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV with quite a few special security features. Since its delivery, the pope has been seen riding in the custom Mercedes around in Rome during celebrations.
Compared with the previous popemobile, a modified M-Class from 2002, Mercedes had extended the dome significantly to give the pope more room and easier entry. Larger glass panels and better illumination also aim to make the pontiff more visible and seemingly more accessible to crowds. The white-painted vehicle’s central interior design feature is a ‘‘throne’’ embroidered with the pontiff’s coat of arms.
Not surprisingly, Daimler did not go into detail as to what exactly the vehicle’s security features included, but you can bet it has similar features to those found in the Mercedes-Benz Guard Models.
Unfortunately, the latest popemobile won’t receive many more miles from Pope Benedict XVI as he announced today that he’ll be stepping down at the end of the month.
The question remains – will the new Pope take over the current popemobile or will Mercedes customize a new design for a new Pope?
