The 1975 powder-blue Ford Escort car once owned and driven by Pope John Paul will go up for auction later this month in Las Vegas after a father-son ownership spat was resolved, an auction house said on Monday.
The "humble" four-door sedan purchased a decade ago from the pontiff by Illinois restaurateur Jim Rich for $102,000 could fetch between $2 million and $5 million at the two-day auction Oct. 28 and 29, auction house Kruse International said.
Jim Rich, who is in bankruptcy, got into a court fight four months ago with his father, Jerome Rich, over a $1.7 million debt the father says the son owes, delaying the car's auction. A federal judge ordered the car given to Jerome for safekeeping.
Father and son have settled their differences, and proceeds from the auction will be distributed by Jim Rich's bankruptcy trustee, Kruse spokeswoman Michelle Kuhlhorst said.
John Paul, who drove the car himself while pope, died April 2.
Before the auction, the Escort will be on view at the American Heritage Museum in Auburn, Indiana, which also houses one of the Batmobiles from the "Batman" television show and a General Lee (1969 Dodge Charger) from the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show.
