Bulletproof Popemobile to cruise New York, D.C.

As Pope Benedict XVI makes public tours of Washington and New York City this week, he won't be seen in the open-top "Popemobile" familiar from video shot in St. Peter's Square.

For papal travel, the Vatican ships another Popemobile -- a limousine built with a bullet-resistant-glass cage to shield the pope as he stands for crowds to see him. The first such papal vehicle was built after a 1981 attempt on Pope John Paul II's life.

The car has a gold-trimmed white interior, reflecting the pope's attire, and handlebars to keep Benedict upright as the Popemobile moves.

Some specs of the Mercedes-Benz ML430, which was donated by the carmaker in 2002:

•   •   4.3-liter V-8 engine

•   •   272 horsepower

•   •   Automatic transmission

•   •   Zero to 60 mph in 8 seconds

And nobody called it the Popemobile around John Paul II. He said the term was undignified.

Gannett News Service