Janis's Cab.

In 1968, the great blues singer Janis Joplin purchased a 1965 Porsche 356 Cabriolet in Beverly Hills.

However, Janis was not thrilled with the white Porsche, so she had a friend of one of her band's roadies come up with something a bit more appropriate for a successful, outspoken rock star. Dave Richards created a psychedelic paint job that even featured the likeness of Janis on the driver's side front fender. If you look close at the photo you can see it with her band members.

When anyone in Los Angeles or San Fransisco saw the custom painted Porsche 356 C, they knew it was Janis at the wheel. During one of Joplin's gigs, the car was stolen and painted grey, but fortunately a custom paint shop was able to restore it to its psychedelic splendor.

I can just see her cruising, top down with the stars out along PCH in Malibu...hair blowing in the wind with an eight track tape player piercing the night.

Janis famously lamented in her last song recorded, "Mercedes Benz",.... "Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz, my friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends." 

It begs the question, which friends of hers drove Porsches?...The word on the street says, that both David Crosby and Steven Stills had 911s back in the day, was it them?

It's sad, but Janis had just completed that song "Mercedes Benz" and a birthday song for John Lennon when she died from an apparent heroin overdose early in October of 1970.

The Joplin Porsche will be on display at the Marin Sonoma Concours d' Elegance May 16th.

Here is a link for that event: http://www.marinsonomaconcours.org/