AUTONEWS

The day Pope John Paul II rode in the Ferrari Popemobile

They say that Enzo Ferrari was an admirer of Pope John Paul II (whose pontificate lasted from 1978 to 2005), primarily because the latter had worked as a factory worker in his youth. However, the health of the creator of the legendary sports car brand prevented him from being in Maranello the day the Pope honored Ferrari with a visit to its headquarters. Never before had they had such an illustrious visit, and never would they again. It took place on June 4, 1988, two months before Enzo's death, and it produced images that shocked the world.

At that time, the Popemobile was a kind of rolling fortress, something that seemed unavoidable in the Vatican after Karol Wojtyla suffered an attack on May 13, 1981, that shocked the world. That day, Turkish citizen Ali Agca stood in St. Peter's Square and waited for the open-top Popemobile to pass by, taking advantage of the moment to fire four shots. Two bullets lodged in the Holy Father's stomach, while the other two hit his arm and hand. Fortunately, neither was fatal.

However, as they toured the factory, they realized that such security wasn't necessary, as the workers were under "control." So they prepared a Ferrari Mondial Cabrio for him, the only convertible model the Italian brand had on sale at the time. It had been launched in 1980, offered four real seats, and was equipped with a mid-rear V8 that initially produced only 218 hp. However, by the time John Paul arrived in Maranello, it was already producing 270 hp and, from 1989 to 1993, would deliver 300 hp. The only preparation they had made to the car consisted of removing the passenger seat, so that Karol Wojtyla could stand during the tour while holding onto the windshield frame.

Of course, that day he was able to see not only the assembly line and shake hands with the top executives (except Enzo Ferrari), but also meet Michele Alboreto and Gerhard Berger, then Ferrari drivers, and see their cars up close.

There was another occasion when Ferrari met the Pope, but it was in January 2005 at the Vatican. At that time, Ferrari arrived with a 95-person delegation that included drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. It's quite possible that the Pope, now 84 years old and clearly in decline (he would die three months later), still remembered the day he climbed into a Ferrari. A car, by the way, that we never found out if it was preserved by Ferrari or ended up being sold to a client who perhaps doesn't even know that it was once used to transport the Pope.

Mundoquatrorodas