End the search: Mansory has built the ideal new Popemobile for Leo XIV

We don’t yet know what car Robert Prevost will commission to be his official Popemobile. Perhaps he’ll keep the modified electric Mercedes G580 that was built for Pope Francis last year?

Or perhaps he’ll want something a little more… bling. Okay, it’s probably unlikely to be a car for cardinals, but you can’t blame us. Mansory has timed the unveiling of its new open-topped ‘Speranza’ perfectly. Heck, it’s even painted white. What you’re looking at here is the latest generation G-Wagen converted into, well, a convertible.

Mansory said chopping the roof off the G “requires extensive body modifications”, so there are reinforcements in the frame and the sills, plus new triangular side windows behind the rear doors to help the new canvas roof sit flush when it’s closed. Those windows also act as wind deflectors to stop the two occupants in the rear seats getting blown away when the roof is open. His Holiness will be most pleased.

We’re told the new top is available in several colours and opens and closes at the touch of a button. There’s also a completely reworked interior, with this particular car getting lashings of white and red leather. And would you just look at that carbon fibre steering wheel? That’s got to be a mortal sin if we’ve ever witnessed one.

The rear doors are now rear hinged too, and on the outside the Speranza gets a frankly ludicrous bodykit with strakes, slashes and marbled carbon on every surface. There’s also giant arch extensions that struggle to cover the new, forged 24in wheels. Lord help us.

Oh, and that’s not all, because Mansory has also been fiddling with the G’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. With bigger turbos, a new exhaust system and a flashed ECU, you now get an unholy 809bhp and 848lb ft of torque. That means a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.0 seconds flat and (thankfully) a limited top speed of 155mph.