Among a sea of rare Ferraris and amid the air-cooled Porsches that make their way to these auctions is a 1976 Ford Escort GL sedan.

Auctions that take place around the world are a bit odd at times, even those that are on the higher end of the spectrum. Many of us know we could potentially find a great vehicle to rebuild or drive at a low price at auction, but if you’re going to the RM Sotheby’s auction you’re not going to find a bargain.

This is an auction house that’s on the top end of the spectrum and often shows us some of the most highly respected and relegated cars in the world to become the ones we want to admire and will likely never be able to afford.

This little sedan looks as if it’s taken a wrong turn and ended up among a crowd that’s certainly in a much higher class than what it should be. This little Escort has a story though, and when you hear it, you’re going to realize this car certainly belongs among the other models.

Who Owned this Ford Escort?

The small and unassuming 1976 Ford Escort GL sedan is powered by a 1.1-liter engine and it looks a bit ratty and dented with faded paint and some rust in the engine bay. This is not a perfectly maintained example of this car, so why does it see the auction house feels this car will sell for up to $300,000. It’s not a rare find, and it certainly isn’t a car that you would look for even at a junkyard, but this particular model is a special one because it once belonged to Saint Pope John Paul II.

This was the car that Pope John Paul II owned before he moved into the papal position in 1978 and the tale of what happened to the car after his election to the highest office in the Catholic church is a bit of a mystery. In 1996, Jim Rich bought the car at auction for $102,000 with the intention of displaying the car at his Chicago restaurant but ended up using it as his daily driver because he fell on financial hard times. His sale of the vehicle netted $690,000 when he sold it to John O’Quinn who has kept the vehicle since the transaction.

This Ford Escort is slated to be sold at auction in the fall over Labor Day weekend. Even though it’s a run-down old Escort, it’s worth the money anticipated because it belonged to the Pope and one who was sainted by the Catholic church. While not as valuable as when O’Quinn purchased it because the Pope had only recently passed at the time, this is a car that would set a record as the most valuable second generation of the Escort in the world. Likely there will be at least one person who finds this car interesting and will pay the price expected to own it.