It’s not every day you see the Pope bless a 1.8-litre air-cooled cruiser, but then again, it’s not every day BMW Motorrad decides to build one for him. Yet here we are - a mother-of-pearl white BMW R 18 Transcontinental, complete with Vatican coat of arms and a papal signature on the tank. It’s less “born to be wild” and more “born to be sanctified.”
The machine, built by BMW Motorrad Deutschland and fettled by dealer Witzel, will be auctioned via Sotheby’s this October, with proceeds going to children’s aid projects in Madagascar. Which is a fine thing indeed - though one can’t help picturing the Holy Father gliding past the Swiss Guard astride 427 kg of Milwaukee-inspired Bavarian metal, boxer twin thumping like a Gregorian chant at idle.
The idea came from Thomas Draxler, founder of JESUS-BIKER® (yes, really), who joined BMW Witzel to pitch what must have been the most unlikely PowerPoint presentation in Munich’s history. BMW’s boss Markus Flasch admitted the project “initially sounded more like a crazy idea,” which is corporate code for “someone in marketing’s gone rogue but let’s see where this goes.”
Still, it’s hard not to admire the execution. The bike set off from Sennfeld for Rome on a ‘Peace Ride’, pausing at churches along the way - a sort of spiritual Cannonball Run, if you like - before being handed to Pope Leo XIV himself at the Vatican. Presumably after a few gentle reminders that the R 18’s 1,802 cc twin has more torque than a small Fiat.
From 15 September to 7 October, the blessed behemoth will sit under soft lighting at BMW Welt in Munich before heading to auction. Expect a healthy hammer price: it’s not every day you can buy a motorcycle autographed by the Pope. And let’s face it, if divine intervention could ever help something hold its value, this might just be it.
