Hit the road in high smileage vehicles

With all due respect, the new catchphrase may be: "Pope my ride."

The Irish Voice reports that the Popemobile, in which Pope John Paul II rode while visiting Ireland in 1979, is available for rent for weddings, bachelor parties or other celebrations.

Dublin businessman Paddy Dunning insists he'll be selective about renters to ensure that the famous car is treated with reverence. In other words: girls gone undefiled.

The going rate is $325 an hour. Capacity is 15 people, including a spot in the pope's straight-backed chair.

This news got us to thinking about what other famous vehicles could be used as party rides. Turns out there are several replicas-for-rent businesses in the United States. Here are some ideas.

• The flatbed truck jalopy from "The Beverly Hillbillies," for when you finally win the Powerball.

• The 1934 Ford "death car" from "Bonnie & Clyde," sans bullet holes. Just don't swing through the bank drive-up on your way to the party.

• The yellow-and-black Bumblebee Camaro from "The Transformers" movie -- when you're not sure what you'll encounter.

• The Holy Grail of rides (after the Popemobile) is the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Sadly, you can rent it only for display; no one but specially trained drivers can take the wheel (although we'll never know how we missed the news that VP candidate Paul Ryan once drove the contraption during a college job in Minnesota).