The bombproof, bulletproof, armor-plated vehicle used by John Paul II during his 1982 visit to Britain has been sold for $70,500 to a man from Ireland.

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The so-called "popemobile," a 24-ton converted truck with 11,000 miles on it, was sold at an auction in Dumfries, Scotland after a brisk bidding, the BBC reported Sunday.

The Pope had traveled in the vehicle to Bellahouston Park in Glasgow and Murrayfield in Edinburgh, celebrating a Mass for more than 300,000 people.

Little is known about the buyer, other than he is delighted with his purchase and his banker probably is, too, since the BBC said the vehicle in "excellent" condition had been expected to go at a much higher price.