The Most Interesting Cars at the 1000 Miglia Experience UAE

You Don't See These at Your Typical Timeand-Distance Rally

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The first 1000 Miglia Experience UAE is in the books, and the event attracted an impressive array of cars from 26 countries. The rally saw 93 of the 100 registered cars begin and 72 finish. Many were the popular classics you might expect to see at a gathering like this, but also among them were 11 cars that were either unusual in their own right or arrived with interesting stories to tell.

1964 Lincoln Continental Popemobile

Vintage European sports cars are by far the most common vehicles you see at an international road rally—a suicide-door 1964 Lincoln Continental Convertible is about as far from that as you can get. As if a Continental in Dubai isn’t unusual enough, this one has an incredible story, to boot: It’s a former Popemobile.

Purchased in the U.S. by Notre Dame students for the occasion of Pope Paul VI’s visit to India in 1964, the car features a custom T-handle between the front seat backs for the Pope to hold onto while standing on the rear floor. It’s even wrapped in the same red leather as the rest of the interior and finished with chrome trim. The car is otherwise stock, save the little diplomatic flags at its front corners.

After the pope’s visit, the car was donated to Mother Teresa to be auctioned to benefit her leprosy charity. It’s changed hands several times since then but remained in India, where the present owner, Yohan Poonawalla, purchased it two years ago. This was its first rally, but it’s already won several concours events. The fresh whitewalls were shipped to Dubai two days before the 1000 Miglia began.