Classic Mercedes Roadster raises $130,000 for fund to benefit Joplin schools

A classic car offered for auction by singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow raised $130,000 Sunday, and the money will benefit the Joplin School District.

The 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster brought about double its estimated value.

“The estimate was $50,000 to $80,000, so we are thrilled,” said Louise Whall Knauer, senior vice president for communications and marketing for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The foundation, based in Springfield, is managing the auction proceeds on behalf of the school district.

“Sheryl designated the funds for the Joplin Schools Recovery Fund, so they will be able to use it at the point when they need to draw on the funds,” Knauer said. “That is at their discretion. We are just holding the funds.”

In announcing the donation in July, Crow said in a statement that she was moved by the size of the May 22 tornado in Joplin.

Crow grew up in Kennett in the Bootheel, attended the University of Missouri and is a former teacher. She said the Roadster is a “personal favorite” that was fully restored several years ago.

It was auctioned over the weekend by Gooding & Co., based in Pebble Beach, Calif., which specializes in rare and collectible automobiles. The company did not release the winning bidder’s name. The top bid was $143,000, and the company retained $13,000 in fees.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is overseeing 21 separate donation funds for tornado victims, including contributions to the Joplin Schools Recovery Fund and to the Joplin Tornado First Response Fund, which is a city fund. Some of the contributions are designated for specific funds, including park repairs and tree planting, and others are corporate benevolence funds set up by companies to help their employees who were storm victims.

So far, more than $3.8 million has been donated through the foundation funds for Joplin tornado victims.





Roadster

THE 1959 MERCEDES-BENZ 190 SL Roadster is a white convertible with an optional white hardtop and a black soft top, new brakes and suspension, and new black leather upholstery.