The red-and-yellow winged roadster that starred in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has been sold at auction for just over half a million dollars - to a Florida collector.

A light blue 1975 Ford Escort GL once owned by Pope John Paul II sold for $690,000 (€572,000) to a Houston multimillionaire who said he plans to put it in a museum he wants to build in his home town.

THE only car Pope John Paul II was believed to have owned is up for auction, and the seller expects it to attract bids of up to €3.7 million.