The Golden Palace Casino of Austin, Texas, submitted the winning bid of almost 189,000 euros (about $245,000) in an Internet auction of a used, 6-year-old Volkswagen Golf once owned--but never driven--by Pope Benedict XVI. Benjamin Halbe, who put the car up for auction, bought the car for 9,500 euros from a dealer in Singen, Germany, in January and only later learned that the previous owner was German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The metallic gray sedan with 46,500 miles on its odometer drew a record 8.4 million visitors to the German eBay Web site and attracted 227 bids.
COPYRIGHT 2005 National Catholic Reporter
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
