A custom Harley-Davidson presented to Pope Francis on the 110th anniversary of the company's founding has sold for more than 10 times its estimate at Bonhams Paris.
The lot featured in the Marques du Mond au Grand Palais auction on February 6, achieving a figure of $325,904, an increase of 1,883% on an estimate of $20,392.
A leather jacket presented alongside the motorbike sold for $77,596.
 The motorbike was auctioned for charity at Bonhams |
The 1,585CC FXDC Dyna Super Glide Custom, which retails for just over $13,000 new, features an autograph from the pontiff on the fuel tank.
It was presented by a cohort of around 800 bikers, who gathered in St Peter's Square in Rome.
The Pope had blessed them but offered a warning on the dangers of hedonism and materialism, telling them not to put their faith in "fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death."
The proceeds from the sale were donated to Caritas Roma, part of a consortium of Catholic relief agencies, with the funds earmarked for a soup kitchen in the city.
Enrico Feroci, director of Caritas Roma, commented: "We are delighted with the results of the sale, which far exceeded any of our expectations."
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