We don’t yet know what car Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, will commission to be his official Popemobile. Perhaps he’ll keep the modified electric Mercedes-Benz 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 from getting blown away when the roof is open. His Holiness will be most pleased.
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We’re told the new top is available in several colors, and can open and close 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-fiber 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 are also giant arch extensions that struggle to cover the new, forged 24-inch wheels. Lord help us.
Oh, and that’s not all, because Mansory has also been fiddling with the G’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. With bigger turbos, a new exhaust system, and a flashed ECU, you now get an unholy 809hp and 1,150Nm of torque. That means a 0-100kph sprint time of 4.0sec (flat) and thankfully, a limited top speed of 249kph.
More photos of the Mansory Speranza–Mercedes-Benz G-wagen:
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
