A car believed to have previously been owned by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger aka Pope Benedict XVI, is up for auction on eBay in Germany.

Benjamin Halbe, 21, put the gray 1999 Volkswagon Golf up for auction on the German Website, www.ebay.de , Wednesday. Halbe claims to have records for the vehicle liscensing office proving the name of the original owner was Ratzinger.

The vehicle, described as a two liter petrol-powered manual, with 75,000 km (47,000 miles) on the clock since it was first registered in March 1999, had a minimum bidding price of 9,900 euros ($12,700). In just 24 hours their was more than 300 bids placed on the "popemobile" putting the price tag at one million euros ($1.3 million dollars).

Ratzinger, who is from Bavaria in southern Germany, has been at the Vatican for more than two decades and is not known to drive. The Vatican has not made a comment on the auction, which closes on May 5 at 7.30 p.m.