In early 1979, ahead of Pope John Paul II’s historic visit to Ireland, Cork-based OBAM Vehicle Builders were quietly commissioned by fellow Cork firm Henry Ford & Son Limited to design and build two custom vehicles. Drawing inspiration from Roman chariots and built for maximum visibility in large crowds, the vehicles were constructed on Ford D-Series truck chassis, also made in Cork.
PAPAL MANIA
In the summer of 1979, Ireland was gripped by a wave of intense preparation as the country geared up for the historic visit of Pope John Paul II, scheduled from 29th September to 1st October.
Crowds were expected at the public masses in Dublin, Drogheda, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Limerick, and Knock, but even the largest estimates at the time would prove too conservative. One of the central challenges was how to allow the Pope to move safely among such vast gatherings, while still giving people the opportunity to see him up close. The answer was to create a specially designed vehicle, essentially a mobile balcony, that would carry the Pope and his entourage through the crowds, ensuring both visibility and security.
OBAM VEHICLE BUILDERS
On August 24th 1979, just five weeks before Pope John Paul II’s arrival in Ireland, Matt O’Brien and John Mulhare of OBAM Vehicle Builders, based at Blackstone Bridge in Cork, were handed an extraordinary task: design and construct two custom vehicles for the papal visit. The commission came in secret from Henry Ford & Son Limited, a long-standing OBAM client, who had previously trusted them with specialised work. As Matt later recalled in a 2017 interview with The Examiner, “Ford couldn’t build them as they didn’t have the equipment.”
Ford provided the chassis and cab of a D-Series truck, manufactured at their Cork plant, which served as the foundation for the two purpose-built vehicles, one of which would act as a backup, for the Pope and his entourage at public masses across the country.
Founded in 1962 by lifelong friends Matt O’Brien and John Mulhare, who had previously worked together at CIÉ, OBAM Vehicle Builders became a leading name in custom vehicle manufacturing in Ireland. The company was also the first in the country to produce refrigerated trucks for transporting frozen foods.
PAPAL VEHICLE DESIGN
The design of the papal transport vehicle, intended to function as a mobile balcony, drew loose inspiration from a Roman chariot and prominently featured the Papal crest on its exterior. Constructed with an aluminium body and measuring over 6 metres in length, the vehicle was engineered to accommodate the pope and 15 members of his entourage. The interior was fitted with a rich red carpet, upholstered seating, and handrails to enable the Pope to stand and address the assembled crowds safely.
Given the high-profile nature of the visit, the issue of security was paramount. George Colley, Minister for Finance at the time, advocated for the installation of bulletproof glass in the vehicles. However, as John Mulhare of OBAM Vehicle Builders explained in an interview with The Examiner in 2017, the estimated cost of such glass was approximately £200,000. When he and co-founder Matt O’Brien requested that the necessary funds be deposited into their business account, the payment was not forthcoming.
“We were in stalemate for two days,” recalls O’Brien. “Nobody wanted to pay.” The impasse was ultimately resolved when Ford intervened. “Ford came along and said we could do it our own way, saying they trusted us,” he told The Examiner.
A more cost-effective solution was implemented. “We had shatterproof glass,” says Mulhare. “If a fellow threw a stone at the vehicle, the glass wouldn’t break.” Thus, shatterproof glass was used in place of bulletproof materials.
THE “POPEMOBILE” NAME
Approximately 2.7 million people gathered at six locations, Dublin, Drogheda, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Limerick, and Knock, to welcome Pope John Paul II during his historic visit to Ireland in 1979. The specially designed vehicles, built to transport the Pope safely while allowing him to be visible to the crowds, proved essential. During the visit, these vehicles became widely referred to as “Popemobiles.”
According to the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums), a 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser is credited as the first vehicle to be referred to as a “Popemobile.” However, The Washington Post challenges this claim, arguing that the term “Popemobile” originated in Ireland during Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit. This visit immediately preceded his trip to the United States, where American media quickly adopted and popularised the term “Popemobile.”
Interestingly, despite the term’s global popularity, Pope John Paul II was not fond of it. In 2002, he publicly urged the media to stop using “Popemobile,” calling it “undignified.” Nevertheless, the name stuck, proof that once the public latches on to a catchy term, it’s hard to let go.
POPEMOBILES TODAY
After Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit, both Irish-built Popemobiles were returned by Ford to OBAM Vehicle Builders with instructions to scrap them. The smaller of the two vehicles was dismantled and destroyed. The larger Popemobile, which had been used at the masses in Galway and at Phoenix Park, was also in the process of being taken apart—until an unexpected intervention changed its fate.
As reported by RTÉ News on 17 February 1981, journalist Tom MacSweeney described how the former Bishop of Cork, Dr. Cornelius Lucey, stepped in and requested that OBAM halt the destruction of the second Popemobile. Dr. Lucey argued that the vehicle should be preserved as a memento of a historic and deeply significant occasion, reportedly stating, “They should be preserved as mementos of a unique occasion.”
His appeal was supported by the Vatican Secretariat, which agreed that the Popemobile should not be used for any financial or commercial purpose. In response, Ford offered the body of the partially dismantled vehicle to Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich for use at his discretion.
Despite this gesture, the surviving Popemobile remained dismantled and in storage for the next 30 years.
In 2009, entrepreneur Paddy Dunning, who had purchased Dublin’s Wax Museum, also acquired the Popemobile, by then little more than a stripped-down shell. He invested €60,000 in its restoration. Once the work was complete, the vehicle was fully refurbished and fitted with a new Mercedes engine. Notably, the original chair used by Pope John Paul II remained intact and in place.
Although it is no longer on display at the Wax Museum, the restored Popemobile is listed for hire on the event and party planning website stagit.ie.
POPE FRANCIS POPEMOBILE
Pope Francis visited Ireland from 25th to 26th August 2018, becoming the first pope to return since Pope John Paul II’s landmark visit in 1979. While both visits were significant, there were notable differences in tone, scale, and symbolism.
The crowds in 2018 were considerably smaller than those seen in 1979, and the vehicles used reflected Pope Francis’s well-known preference for humility and simplicity. The Popemobile for this visit was a scaled-down version, built on a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, accommodating a much smaller entourage compared to the 15 passengers who travelled with Pope John Paul II nearly four decades earlier.
In keeping with this pared-back approach, Pope Francis also replaced the usual fleet of limousines with just two Skoda Rapids. Each was fitted with a modest 1.0-litre petrol engine producing 95 horsepower. In a playful touch, the Czech automaker marked the occasion with a custom registration plate for the main vehicle: 182-D-9093, a number that, when viewed upside down, spells “POPE.”
The accessibility of Pope Francis during his visit was striking. In fact, the author of this article was waved at by the Pope three times in a single day as he made his way along Dublin’s Old Cabra Road in the back of his Skoda Rapid.
If you have an idea for a story, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
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Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
Dublin Wax Museum
Hemmings website
Irish Central
Irish Daily Mail
Washington Post
Jimmy McCormack/ The Irish Times
RTE News
RTEtoyota
The Irish Mirror
The Irish Sun
The Popemobile used during his visit to Ireland can now be hired for Stags and Hens – The Examiner
Thomas J. O’Halloran – via the Library of Congress
