RM Sotheby’s Munich has found a new owner for a 2024 MW R 18 Transcontinental bike that once belonged to Leo XIV, the Pope of Rome. In Germany, these bikes normally start from €29,820, but this particular example bore a signature of the Pontifex and went for a cool €156,000. As you’d expect from a sale like this, the auction holder promised to donate all proceedings to a child charity in Madagascar.
The R 18 Transcontinental is BMW’s latest cruiser bike equipped with a 1.8-liter engine. Leo XIV had only formally owned it, while the BMW Welt museum stored it specifically so that it could be sold at a charity auction later. The initiative came from a local community called Jesus Bikers and received support from BMW Motorrad Deutschland.
To spice things up a little, a dealership in Germany had this example resprayed in white so it would fit in the whole “Popemobile” lineup. They also applied a decal to it with the coat-of-arms of Vatican. Before the sale, the bike took part in a three-day motocross event called Peace Ride, stopping for Catholic liturgies along the way, and finally arrived at the main cathedral gates on St. Peter’s Square on September 3. Leo XIV blessed and undersigned it.
The money will be handed over to Missio Austria, a charity foundation that the Pope of Rome formally presides over.
