SAN FRANCISCO - Forget biodiesel, this 1999 metallic gray Volkswagen Golf might run on a higher power.

For the second time in two years, eBay is hosting an auction for Pope Benedict XVI's old hatchback. eBay said Friday it had verified that the car was owned by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he ascended to the papacy.

As of Friday afternoon, bids had surpassed $200,000, and the auction's Web page had logged more than 195,000 hits. The auction was scheduled to close Saturday morning.

The car's owner, a Texas-based online casino, GoldenPalace.com, bought the hatchback for $216,0000 in May 2005 from a German man who said that when he bought it he did not know of his car's previous owner.

Benjamin Halbe said he only learned Ratzinger had owned the car when he checked the car's documents.

GoldenPalace.com posted two German automobile registration documents that list "Josef Kardinal Ratzinger" as the vehicle's previous owner.

The company said that 40 percent of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to Habitat for Humanity Great Britain. The car is in England; the online casino said it would pay for shipping to the United States.

The casino is known for its outrageous publicity stunts. It once paid for a grilled cheese sandwich that some believed had a likeness of the Virgin Mary on it. It also has paid boxers to tattoo the company's name on their bodies.

Since the car's last sale, its appearance has changed. The Golf now has "Pope Benedict Mobile" and advertising stickers plastered on its body.

On the Net:

eBay: http://www.ebaymotors.com