Famed Hawaii Public Radio listener Clint Eastwood, perhaps better known as an actor, director and all-around household name, has donated his vintage Mercedes Benz to the nonprofit radio stations amid their spring pledge drive.
The blue 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 was manufactured the same year Eastwood’s memorable "Dirty Harry" and "Play Misty for Me" movies were released.
The actor-director purchased the car in his home state, California, in the 1970s and later shipped it to Maui for his frequent stays on the island, according to HPR officials.
"We have reason to believe it’s got an even more exotic past," HPR President and General Manager Michael Titterton told TheBuzz. "I’ll most certainly engage the services of a broker for this fairly rare car … someone who’s got the chops to check out its pedigree."
HPR is no stranger to donations since the statewide stations are listener-supported. In addition to yearlong donations from sustaining members and on-air pledge drives twice a year, the stations have a regular program in which cars can be donated to the stations and the donors receive tax write-offs.
However, this vehicle is somewhat more special than Uncle Kimo’s beater.
The car belonging to the former mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., and Oscar-winning director "is sufficiently different, so we won’t be going that route," Titterton chuckled. It will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
It’s now in a Maui garage getting a little work done to make sure it’s in top shape before the auction, which will commence "as soon as humanly possible" after the on-air pledge drive is pau.
Proceeds will add to the HPR Endowment Fund for long-running support of the stations. The fund, now at $1.9 million, was established in 2004 with an eye toward offsetting the federal government’s diminishing support of public broadcasting with investment income.
In addition to his work in film, Eastwood is known to be a jazz fan, and not just because of his role as a jazz disc jockey in the thriller "Play Misty for Me."
Station officials "would like to believe that his donation was made to further encourage jazz artists and audiences in Hawaii," Titterton said.
This particular Benz is known by car enthusiasts for its combination of luxury sedan styling with a race car engine capable of going 140 mph. "Road and Track" magazine has called it the greatest sedan in the world.
Oh, and Eastwood also will receive a donation receipt for his taxes, Titterton confirmed.
AD 2 HONOLULU HAS PLENTY TO CHEER
Ad 2 Honolulu is 13 years older than its oldest members.
The organization of young advertising professionals age 32 or younger marks its 45th anniversary this year and has much to celebrate.
In this year’s annual competition among Ad 2 chapters around the country, Ad 2 Honolulu won first prize for its so-called "book," or overall outline for its branding and marketing efforts, for Ala Kuola, a nonprofit group on Oahu that assists victims of domestic violence and the winner of Ad 2’s annual pro-bono marketing campaign. The group also took second place in the Education, Government, Multicultural Initiatives and Membership categories of the competition, and third place in the Communications category.
Ad 2 Honolulu’s campaign now progresses to the presentation competition, which will be part of the national American Advertising Federation 2015 AdMerica conference in Las Vegas in June. Not to bachi anything, but the club has a rather legendary record in that competition.
To further mark its 41⁄2 decades of existence and to raise money to execute its marketing plan for Ala Kuola, the group’s spring fundraiser — Ad 2 Through the Ages — will be staged May 14 from 6 to 10 p.m. at The Modern Honolulu.
Tickets for the event are $35 online or $50 at the door. Proceeds will be go toward the branding and marketing of Ala Kuola, also known as the Hawaii Family Law Clinic. The nonprofit helps domestic-violence victims obtain temporary restraining orders, offers educational programs for youth and provides additional services.
The campaign Ad 2 Honolulu has prepared will be unveiled during the event, which also will feature food, drinks and entertainment, and it is hoped the fundraiser will exceed the $8,000 raised last year, organizers said.
On the Net:
» Ad2ThroughTheAges.eventbrite.com
Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
