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Janis Joplin’s Porsche Being Auctioned By Sotheby’s

Published on: September 17, 2015 at 10:13 AM
By Tara Dodrill

Janis Joplin’s Porsche will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s in New York City on December 10. The iconic singer’s 1965 Porsche was custom painted and featured in the backdrop of many Joplin photos. The relatives of the late singer are set to earn up to $400,000 from the custom-painted 1965 Porsche, which is being put on the auction block by Sotheby’s in New York City.

The Porsche owned by Janis Joplin has adorned the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland for the past two decades, the Guardian reports. The family owns the car and loaned it to the music museum until a decision to sell the vehicle was made earlier this week. Jolin purchased the white 1965 Porsche 1600 Cabriolet in 1968. The “Me and Bobby McGee” singer drove the second-hand car until her death in 1968.

“Like most people and their car of choice, her Porsche is a direct link to Janis,” Michael Joplin, the singer’s brother, said. “She drove it everywhere — and with everyone that was anyone in the San Francisco music scene — with the top down and her feathers flying. Her music, life and car are a part of rock and roll history.”

Janis Joplin died from a heroin overdose in Hollywood when she was just 27-year-old. The singer was often spotted driving the Porsche around to her recording studio in Los Angeles and while out and about in San Francisco, CNBC reports.

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Fans quickly recognized the sports car and often placed notes for Janis under the windshield when the Porsche was parked.

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“Janis Joplin’s 356C is without question one of the most important Porsches of all time,” Sotheby’s West Coast Division Director of RM, Ian Kelleher, said. “It’s a fantastic automobile that transcends art, pop culture and social movements, and is as groundbreaking and stunning as the renowned singer was herself.”

The psychedelic mural on Janis Joplin’s Porsche was painted by Dave Richards, a friend and roadie for the singer. The mural depicts images of butterflies, jellyfish, and Joplin’s band.

Janis Joplin was born on January 19, 1943, in Port Arthur, Texas. She did not begin singing until she was 17 but professed a deep love of music from an early age. Her career took off when she joined Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1966. The group’s 1968 album, Cheap Thrills , was a huge hit and thrust Joplin to the top of the music charts.

Writer’s Note: I once worked with an editor who was a photojournalist during the 1960s. During a conversation when he was asking for last minute coverage of an event I would not typically cover, he “bribed” me into grabbing pad and pen and heading out for a boring evening by giving me an original photo of Janis Joplin — he knew she was one of my favorite singers. The editor’s stories about meeting Joplin kept me enthralled for hours. He recalled Joplin being a very sweet person, with an underlying sadness that was often hovering just below the surface. She was immediately friendly, accessible, and possessed a genuine love for all of her fans, my former editor remembered. I am supposed to receive one of the singer’s feathered boas in my former editor’s will, but hopefully I do not receive that amazing keepsake for many decades to come.

[Image via Twitter]

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