Pope Francis’ Harley Davidson sold today for €241,500 ($326,000), despite its estimated price of €15,000 ($20,500). The motorbike was auctioned at the Grand Palais in Paris as part of Bonhams’ Les Grandes Marques du Monde sale. After a bidding war lasting six minutes, the auctioneer said the 1,585cc Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide was sold to a private buyer in Europe. The head of the Roman Catholic Church received the motorcycle last year, as a gift to mark the 110th anniversary of the brand. The bike has been signed by His Holiness.
A Harley Davidson leather jacket also signed by the pope went to an anonymous “overseas buyer” for €57,500 ($77,600), Bonhams said.
Funds from this sales (motorbike and jacket) will be used in the renovation of the Caritas Roma’s Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and soup kitchen based at Rome’s Termini railway station. The hostel currently provides food and accommodation for more than 1,000 poor, homeless, and unemployed people a day.
