Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Pope Francis autographs a Lamborghini Huracan coupe presented by representatives of the Italian automaker at the Vatican in this 2017 file photo. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A custom-built 2018 Lamborghini Huracan coupe autographed by Pope Francis is back on the block, but, this time with an online fundraising platform, not at an elite European auction house.

The Italian luxury carmaker donated the white vehicle with gold stripes—to match the white and yellow of the Vatican City flag—to the pope in November 2017. The pope had put his diminutive signature on the car's hood, then the vehicle was put up for auction to raise money for charity.

However, it turns out the final bidder at the Sotheby's auction in Monaco in May did not finalize the transaction and the promised $800,000 sale fell through, according to information provided by Lamborghini.

The winner gets airfare to Rome, accommodation in a four-star hotel and a private ceremony of receiving the new car keys in the presence of Pope Francis.

In an effort to still raise funds for a good cause, Lamborghini has decided it will offer people around the world—not just the highest bidder—the chance to win the unique vehicle.

Donations begin at $10 in order to enter the contest, according to the campaign.

The winner gets airfare to Rome, accommodation in a four-star hotel and a private ceremony of receiving the new car keys "in the presence of Pope Francis and Lamborghini CEO, Stefano Domenicali" at the Vatican, according to the fundraising page.

Proceeds were to go to rebuilding villages "that have been devastated by violence and war, assist victims of human trafficking, provide medical care and education to those living in poverty" by being distributed through Charities Aid Foundation of America.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Anthony Quinn and Giulietta Masina in Fellini’s “La Strada” (Janus Films)
Throughout his papacy Pope Francis referenced ‘La Strada’ in homilies, interviews and public addresses.
John DoughertyMay 02, 2025
“I wish I did not have to vote because I wish that Francis were still alive. But it is a fact that he has left us,” Cardinal Stephen Chow told Gerard O’Connell in an exclusive interview.
Gerard O’ConnellMay 02, 2025
Preparations for the conclave to find a new pope accelerated Friday with the installation of the chimney out of the Sistine Chapel that will signal the election of a successor to Pope Francis.