Oprah Winfrey - media mogul, life counselor and purveyor of all that is good in the world - has announced that she'll be auctioning off three vehicles from her private collection:  a red 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing formerly owned by the DuPont family, a 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible given to her by John Travolta and a 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante.  All proceeds from the sale will benefit the annual Arts and Culture Workshop at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls - South Africa, adding to the $40 million she's already personally donated to the cause.

Conducting the auction will be none other than Gooding & Company, with the sale taking place at Pebble Beach on Saturday, August 16th and Sunday, August 17th.  Auction catalogs are available for $100, which includes viewing and auction admission for two, while general admission is set at a price of $40 per person.  The vehicles will be on display August 13th through August 17th.

According to David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Company:  "It’s an honor to have been chosen by Ms. Winfrey to support this noble cause.  Each of these vehicles has a wonderful and interesting history and they will certainly generate tremendous interest at Pebble Beach."

To learn more about Oprah's and Gooding & Company's upcoming auction as well as the vehicle's that will be on display, you can find the full details in the press release below.

Enjoy.



GOODING & COMPANY CONSIGNS THREE VEHICLES FROM OPRAH WINFREY’S CAR COLLECTION FOR CHARITY

Desirable Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, Sophisticated Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible and Luxurious Aston Martin DB7 Volante Cross the Block on August 16 and 17

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Gooding & Company has been chosen to sell Oprah Winfrey’s charity car collection at its Pebble Beach auction on August 16 and 17, 2008. All of the proceeds from the collection will benefit the annual Arts and Culture Workshop at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa. Three vehicles from Ms. Winfrey’s private collection will be up for auction, including her 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible and 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa, located in a suburb outside Johannesburg, provides education for girls who show outstanding promise despite their social circumstances. Opened in January 2007, the Academy offers a private learning and residential environment for approximately 450 girls in grades 7-12 that engenders high standards of academic achievement and service leadership. Ms. Winfrey’s personal donations of more than $40 million have gone toward the creation of the Academy.

“It’s an honor to have been chosen by Ms. Winfrey to support this noble cause,” said David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Company. “Each of these vehicles has a wonderful and interesting history and they will certainly generate tremendous interest at Pebble Beach.”

Every year, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy hosts an array of local and international experts in creative writing, theatre, music, dance, media arts and visual arts. This cross-cultural experience, referred to as the Arts and Culture Workshop, enables Leadership Academy students to imagine opportunities beyond their surroundings.

As part of her philanthropic gesture, Ms. Winfrey has consigned to Gooding & Company her 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing to Gooding & Company. This car’s famous upward opening doors make it one of the most revered automobiles of all time. Originally ordered by the famous DuPont family in 1954, this beautiful red Gullwing is immaculately restored with highly desirable options and accessories. The condition, colors and unique ownership history of Ms. Winfrey’s Gullwing make it a very desirable collector car on many levels.

Another special automobile crossing the auction block is her 1988 Rolls-Royce Corniche II Convertible. Ms. Winfrey has kept the Corniche, which has only traveled 31,000 miles since new, at her Southern California home. Originally given to Ms. Winfrey by her long-time friend and actor, John Travolta, the car remains in excellent condition. The sleek, black body of this modern-classic Rolls-Royce makes it a most sophisticated touring car.

This remarkable charity collection also includes Ms. Winfrey’s 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante, which she bought new. She chose the sporty color combination of a red finish and a tan leather interior with red piping and a matching tan top. This DB7 is equipped with factory alloy wheels and an automatic transmission, making it a luxurious, easy, open Aston Martin benefiting a very worthwhile endeavor.

Few opportunities arise to donate to a philanthropic cause while investing in a collectable car with celebrity provenance. All of Ms. Winfrey’s charity cars will be sold without reserve at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction on August 16 and 17, 2008, and 100% of the proceeds will help support the Arts and Culture Workshop at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa. For more information regarding this organization, please visit www.oprahwinfreyleadershipacademy.org.

Gooding & Company’s collection of Pebble Beach auction cars will be on display and open to the public on Wednesday, August 13 through Sunday, August 17. The auctions will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2008 and Sunday, August 17, 2008, commencing at 6:00PM. Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction catalogs are available for $100 and admit two to the viewing and the auction. General admission to the viewing and the auction can be purchased at the tent for the price of $40 per person. Bidder registration forms, press credentials and additional auction information are available on www.goodingco.com. To consign your classic car to the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction, please call (310) 899-1960.

About Gooding & Company

Gooding & Company provides unparalleled service for those in the collector car market, offering a wide range of services, including private and estate sales, appraisals and collection management. As the official Pebble Beach Auction House for the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company sold more than $61.3 million worth of collector automobiles in August 2007. Gooding & Company will be conducting its annual Scottsdale Auction on January 17, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, please contact (310) 899-1960 or visit www.goodingco.com.

Gooding & Company also lends its auction expertise for the live intellectual property auctions of Ocean Tomo, a fully integrated intellectual capital merchant bank specializing in understanding and leveraging intellectual-property assets. The most recent Summer 2008 live intellectual property auction in Amsterdam produced record-breaking $12.6 million results from the sale of patents, management lots and digital media systems.