She may have immortalized her love for Mercedes-Benz on the
eponymous track from her final album Pearl, but Janis Joplin’s heart belonged
to her 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet.
The 356C was the immediate predecessor to the 911 and
Joplin’s ’65 was one of the final 356Cs manufactured, the rest having been
turned into the newly developed 911. Joplin bought the car used in 1967 after
her albums started selling thanks to an appearance with Big Brother and the
Holding Company at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Not just any old 356C, Joplin’s particular car was one of
only 14,166 produced and featured one of the more desirable configurations in
the form of a convertible with disc brakes and a 90 Super engine. All of this
paled in comparison, of course, to the psychedelic paintwork that soon consumed
the exterior of the formerly Oyster White Porsche.
One iconic photo shows Joplin seated cross-legged on the
hood of her hippie-fied beauty, by far one of the most instantly recognizable
Porsches of all time. Sadly, the original paint began to flake severely in the
years following her death. The car was repainted a more neutral gray in the
late ‘70s after being returned to her family. As a tribute to their departed
sister, Joplin’s siblings had a replica of the original paintwork crafted on
the vehicle, returning it to its previous flower power glory. Today it resides
in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
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