Odd News

eBay: Pope's old car for sale

(AP)
Updated: 2007-04-14 20:00

SAN FRANCISCO - Forget biodiesel. This 1999 metallic gray Volkswagen Golf might run on a higher power. For the second time in two years, eBay is hosting an auction for a car said to be Pope Benedict XVI's old hatchback.

Bids had surpassed $200,000 by Friday afternoon. The auction was scheduled to close on Saturday morning.

The car's owner, a Texas-based online casino, GoldenPalace.com, posted two German automobile registration documents that list "Josef Kardinal Ratzinger" as the vehicle's previous owner. The casino bought the car in 2005 on eBay from a German man.

On Friday, eBay said it had verified the car was owned by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he ascended to the papacy.

The company said that 40 percent of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to Habitat for Humanity Great Britain. The car is in England; the online casino said it would pay for shipping to the United States.

Since the car's last sale, its appearance has changed. The Golf now has " Pope Benedict Mobile" and advertising stickers plastered on its body.