2005 Ferrari Enzo Coupe

Adorned in white for purity, but washed in the red blood of Jesus Christ, the Pope is to represent the one 'Catholic' church. For a man gifted salvation, what else could ever come close? Perhaps a chariot adorned in red with a prancing horse carrying it aloft where only angels tread.

It had been a couple of decades since Scuderia Ferrari had a World Champion. However, with the presence of one Michael Schumacher it seemed the titles would never leave Maranello. Earning the first title for the marque with the start of the new millennium it was decided a new supercar needed to be designed to commemorate the occasion. But, when it came to giving the new car a name, great care had to be taken.

Enzo Ferrari was demanding and only really appreciated those drivers that drove on the raged edge each and every moment of each and every lap. The designers and builders at Ferrari had to make sure then, if the car was to bear the founder's name, that it was as radical and as on-the-edge as Enzo would have liked.

Such a car needed the latest technology and this suited the commemoration of the Formula One title. The scuderia's six-speed electro-hydraulic sequential transmission would be one such inclusion. Carbon-ceramic disc brakes, pushrod suspension, traction control and a limited-slip differential would all help to make the Enzo a F1 car with fenders. A 660bhp, V-12 would help to give the car performance like a Formula One car as well. Though impossible to know for sure, it's entirely likely Enzo would have been proud of the creation bearing his name. It was a work of art, inspired from above.

In usual Ferrari fashion, not 350 but 349 would be the announced number of production Enzos. However, perhaps in a moment of weakness, Ferrari would succumb to temptation and would eventually increase the final tally to 399. It wasn't a Dino, but an Enzo. The true Ferrari aficionado had to have the car bearing 'Il Commendatore's' name.

But this is Ferrari. It's Italy. And, if there are two great Italian institutions it would have to be the Catholic church and the Vatican and Scuderia Ferrari.

It would seem as though from the very beginning that Ferraris would be immediately recognizable for their particular engine note. The melody would seem as though played harmoniously in worship of God in the temple. Perhaps it was this reputation for melodious horsepower, and certainly the fact the car bore Enzo's name that Luca do Montezemolo would make the decision to have the production of the Enzo end with an even number.

One more Enzo was to be built. A total of 400 examples of the Enzo would be built with the 400th being a very special one-off gift. Written in di Montezemolo's hand would be the clear directive that this car, ZFFCZ56B000141920 was to be a gift to His Holiness John Paul II.

It's rare that one's chariot can also be an instrument for worship, but this is exactly what Ferrari gifted John Paul II. Fitted with a carbon fiber rear spoiler, Daytona seats and, of course, Rossa Scuderia livery, His Holiness had everything possible to make a journey into God's presence quick and comfortable.

Gifted and well-received by the Pope and the Vatican officials, it was suggested the car be sold and the proceeds from the sale be put to a much more eternal purpose. It was January 2005, and there was great need in Southeast Asia as a result of the terrible tsunami that had ravaged that part of the world.

Pope John Paul II would pass away before the sale would take place but the entire amount earned from the sale would be put into a check that would be given as a blessing to the Pope's successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

The sale saw the car make its way to the United States and has been treated as an object of holiness ever since accumulating just 179 kilometers from the time it was completed and presented to the Pope.

Practically brand new and complete with its original tool kit and original set of manuals, the particular Enzo has been treated as something of a holy relic all its life. Offered as part of RM Sotheby's 2015 Monterey auction, this Enzo has the opportunity to bless its next owner with rich automotive and religious history. Pre-auction estimates suggested a miraculous catch of fish with the prices ranging from between $4,00,000 and $6,000,000. But, this would only seem right for a car many believed to be inspired and blessed from above.

By Jeremy McMullen