[
Fiat's luxurious 500L isn't precisely a champion by way of resale worth; It's not arduous to discover a used instance for beneath $10,000. And but, public sale home RM Sotheby's is providing a 2015 lounge mannequin that might promote for as much as $100,000. Though that's an enormous sum to pay for a 500L nearing its tenth birthday, the mannequin in query stands out with unusually low mileage and an attention-grabbing historical past.
RM Sotheby's notes that Fiat-Chrysler Cars, which later merged with PSA Peugeot-Citroën to kind Stellantis, supplied 500L to the Catholic Church for the Pope's US go to in September 2015. It's a alternative that is sensible: the 500L is Italian (Vatican Metropolis, headquarters of the Catholic Church, is a city-state surrounded by Rome) and it's comparatively spacious. Attempting to stuff Pope Francis into the common 500 would have been a lot much less handy. It's additionally a comparatively low-key automobile: the Pope has made it look humble (he as soon as drove a Renault 4).
Surprisingly, it doesn't appear to be there's something particular concerning the 500L; It seems to be a run-of-the-mill regular-production mannequin. Completed in Grigio Scuro with a body-colored roof, it’s powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It’s geared up with leather-based upholstery and a six-speed automated transmission, however is just not bulletproof or in any other case modified.
Had it arrived at your nearest CarMax retailer, it might have simply been written off as simply one other used automobile, with one attainable exception: mileage. Its odometer shows roughly 773 miles, which explains why it's in like-new situation. RM Sotheby's explains that the 500L was used within the 2016 St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York Metropolis, was donated by the Archdiocese of New York for the advantage of Catholic pursuits, and was bought by the Dare to Dream Assortment. The sale notably features a copy of the earlier title which lists the Archdiocese of New York because the authorized proprietor.
Though it's not fairly the Popemobile, the 500L is predicted to promote for between $50,000 and $100,000 when it crosses the block in Toronto, Canada, throughout an public sale beginning on Might 31. It is going to positively appear unusual to some. Different automobiles within the Dare to Dream assortment: There's a 1996 Ferrari F50 that might promote for as much as $4.5 million, a 1972 Lamborghini Miura that might convey $3.5 million, and a 2008 Bugatti Veyron anticipated to promote for as much as $1.75 million, to call a number of Different high-end automobiles. Like your complete assortment, the 500L is obtainable with out reserve. The best bidder will take it residence, and in the end the market will resolve what it's price.