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SUNNY Temp: 86 °F Wind: WNW at 9 mph Thursday, July 24, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 9, 2003 manda Sales, 17, of Central Point won this 1970 280 SEL Mercedes in a Fourth of July fun run in Mount Shasta. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven And the winner is... Central Point teen is the lucky winner of a cruiser classic By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Amanda Sales went to Mount Shasta on the Fourth of July to run a race. She came home the winner of a classic Mercedes-Benz. "It’s not something that happens to ordinary people," the 17-year-old said. "You hear about somebody winning a car, but you never expect it’ll happen to you." Reality was still sinking in Monday as the gold, 1970 280 SEL glittered in the driveway of the Saleses’ Central Point home. Amanda still hadn’t driven the big four-door sedan, or felt the power of its six-cylinder fuel-injected engine, or enjoyed the plush comfort of its leather-upholstered seats. She’s been driving for a year, but most of her experience has been behind the wheel of a little blue Chevy Cavalier. Advertisement "I’m kind of scared of it," she said. "It’s a big car." "It’s an awesome car," said her dad, Todd Sales, who ferried the old Mercedes home from Mount Shasta on Monday. "It drove like a late-model car. You feel like you’re sitting in a recliner chair and being driven around. "It felt kind of ..." he paused, searching for a word. "Sensuous." The family went to Mount Shasta for the city’s Fourth of July Fun Run/Walk, an annual fund-raising event that draws thousands of people to the little mountain town. Runners’ entry fees provide financial support for community groups and public-spirited projects. Runners hang around after the race to see if they’ll win any of the dozens of prizes donated by local merchants. This year Mount Shasta chiropractor Jim Wilmerding donated something unusual — a 1970 Mercedes 280 SEL he’d acquired years ago from an elderly couple. Wilmerding decided he didn’t use the car enough to justify keeping it, so he offered it to Mount Shasta Mountain Runners (the group that sponsors the Fourth of July run) as a prize. Several other Mount Shasta residents volunteered to repaint the car’s faded gold paint and go through the engine to make it as good as new. With only 89,000 miles on the odometer, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. "It’s never spent a night outside," Wilmerding said in a telephone interview. "They always kept it in a garage. The chrome is like brand new." Wilmerding said an auto appraiser told him the car is probably worth $12,000 to $15,000 based on its condition and the work that had been put into it. After the race, the Sales family watched while other runners won ski passes, snowboards, jewelry — even a satellite TV system. When the time came to announce the winner of the Mercedes, the announcer asked all the women to hold up their hands. Amanda had never won anything — not at the race, not at school, nowhere. Then the announcer asked the women who were born after 1985 to keep their hands up. He paused, then asked the women who were Oregon residents to keep their hands up. Finally he asked the women who lived in Central Point to keep their hands up. "I was looking around," Amanda recalled, "and I didn’t see anybody else raising their hand." "She was shaking," Wilmerding said. "She came up on to the stage and she couldn’t even speak. She could barely sign the pink slip." Amanda said she’s not sure what she’ll eventually do with the car, but it certainly won’t be hauling her to Crater High School, where she’ll be a senior in September. "I think it’ll sit in the garage," she said. "Maybe we’ll insure it during the summer when the weather’s nice." One thing’s certain — she’ll finally have a car of her own to join her dad in the old-car cruises that have become increasingly popular around Southern Oregon. Todd Sales drives a green 1972 Camaro in the cruises. Amanda had been pestering him to buy her an old car, too. "I always wanted a Chevelle," she said, "but I think I can handle this one." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times