- A custom BMW R 18 Transcontinental signed by Pope Leo XIV sold for €130,000 at Sotheby’s Munich.
- Proceeds from the auction, organised by Missio Austria, will support children’s aid projects in Madagascar.
- The R 18 Transcontinental features a 1802cc Big Boxer twin producing 66kW and around 160Nm of torque.
A one-of-a-kind BMW R 18 Transcontinental - blessed and autographed by Pope Leo XIV - has been sold at auction for €130,000 (around NZ$260,000), with every euro directed toward children’s aid projects in Madagascar.
The exclusive motorcycle, donated by BMW Motorrad, went under the hammer through Sotheby’s at Motorworld Munich on 18 October 2025, organised by Missio Austria. Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW Motorrad, called the outcome “a wonderful final highlight of this charity campaign,” adding that the company was thrilled to contribute meaningfully to the cause.
A blessed bike with big-touring cred
Presented in a ceremonial event at the Vatican in September, the R 18 Transcontinental stands as BMW’s flagship grand-touring cruiser. Beneath the chrome and fairing sits the marque’s signature 1802cc air/oil-cooled “Big Boxer” twin, pushing out 66.4kW at 4750rpm and around 160Nm of torque at 3000rpm. It weighs in at roughly 427kg wet and carries a 23.9-litre tank, enough for long, stately hauls. This particular example, custom-finished and bearing the Pontiff’s signature, bridges faith and machinery in an unlikely but oddly poetic way.
Charity meets collectability
While the R 18 Transcontinental is far from rare in showrooms, this custom model’s provenance pushes it into the realm of art and artifact. A papal blessing may not add horsepower, but it certainly multiplies intrigue, and evidently, auction value.
For BMW Motorrad, the sale was a PR win wrapped in genuine goodwill: a symbolic gesture that turned luxury into tangible aid. For collectors, it reinforced a growing pattern in the high-end motoring world, where uniqueness, story, and social purpose can make a bike worth far more than the sum of its mechanical parts.
