Pope auctions Lamborghini gift, donates £715,000 proceeds to charities
A Lamborghini Huracán gifted to Pope Francis was sold for €715,000 (N308m) at the Sotheby auction held on Saturday, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, and the proceeds will be donated to four charities, reveals Lamborghini.
The proceeds from the sale according to the Lamborghini website will be directly handed over to the head of the catholic church, who has decided to set it aside for four charity entities: the Pontifical Foundation “Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre” (Aid to the Church in Need) to rebuild the Nineveh Plain in Iraq in order to guarantee the Christians’ return thanks to the rebuilding of housing, public structures and places of worship; the Pope John XXIII Community, which devotes itself to women victims of trade and prostitution on the tenth anniversary of the death of Don Oreste Benzi and on the 50th anniversary of the Community’s foundation, “Progetto Casa Papa Francesco” (Pope Francis House Project); two Italian associations that carry out activities above all in Africa, GICAM headed by Dr. Marco Lanzetta (hand surgeon) and “Amici per il Centrafrica” (Friends of Central Africa), which has been working with projects primarily dedicated to women and children for years.
The Huracán RWD was personally autographed by Pope Francis during the presentation ceremony at the Vatican City on November 27, 2017, in the presence of Stefano Domenicali, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Automobili Lamborghini, a delegation of the company’s Management Board and two workers who contributed to the car’s construction.
Built by the Lamborghini “Ad Personam” customization department, this unique and special model is painted Bianco Monocerus (white) with Giallo Tiberino (yellow) stripes running along the body in homage to the colors of the Vatican City flag.