This auction is for an original Ferrari brochure printed to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II to the Fiorano race circuit on Saturday, 4th June, 1988.

The visit was part of a four-day Pastoral tour of the Italian region of Emilia Romagna, and is listed in online Vatican documents as a ‘Meeting with the world of work in the race-course of Fiorano’ as the brochure is similarly titled.

John Paul (Jan Paweł in Polish) served as Pope from late 1978 until his death in April 2005 - born Karol Józef Wojtyła, in southern Poland in May 1920, he had formerly been Archbishop of Kraków, a city close to his birthplace.

The Fiorano site was likely chosen due to its size, and accessibility, for those from the Ferrari factory and other local industries to be welcomed to the meeting and brief service, but inevitable media attention meant news and pictures of the visit were quickly reported around the world.

Most especially, those of the Pontiff swapping his bullet-proof PopeMobile for an open-top 3.2 Mondial Cabriolet, to use for the blessing of the gathered faithful around a lap of the track.

The small brochure, measuring just 17cm x 23cm, consists of 8 pages (incl the outer covers) in a fold-out configuration - with most of the text in Italian, including the translation of, and printed alongside, a closing ‘Benediction’ from the traditional Latin.

The factory catalogue number, on the vertical edge of the rear cover, reads N. 514/88.

This RARE, more than 35 years old and owner-unused, brochure is in very good condition with only minimal markings to the covers, edges and corners.

Please feel free to contact me for any further information on this item before bidding, or to discuss postage to required destination.

Thank you for viewing this auction.

####### POSTAGE & PACKING ####### POSTAGE & PACKING #######

This item weighs 25 grams before packaging.