Janis Joplin’s Porsche For Sale: Custom-Made Car Leaving Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Headed To Auction

Janis Joplin’s custom Porsche has been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and now it can land in one lucky bidder’s garage.

The psychedelic 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet is set to go to auction in December at Sotheby’s in New York. The car had been residing in Cleveland for the last 20 years, on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but now is being sold by the family of Janice Joplin, the Associated Press reported.

Janice Joplin bought the car in 1968 and had a friend paint the custom mural on it. It was more than just a piece of art to the legendary singer, however — Janis Joplin actually drove the Porsche regularly until her death in 1970.

“Janis drove the car everywhere, all around San Francisco and down to Los Angeles when she was recording there,” her sister and biographer, Laura Joplin, told Reuters. “Wherever Janis went in the car, her fans recognized it. When she parked it and returned, there was always at least one (fan) note under the wipers.”

The car is up for sale as part of RM Sotheby’s “Driven by Disruption” auction, which includes a total of 30 custom-styled automobiles.

“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,” said Ian Kelleher, managing director of RM Sotheby’s West Coast division.

Janice Joplin’s Porsche isn’t the only piece of music history to go to auction in recent months. Earlier this summer, the famous “little black book” kept by singer Frank Sinatra sold for close to $9,000. According to the New York Post‘s Page Six, the book “included personal information for his high-flying friends from John Wayne and Sidney Poitier to the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom under Ronald Reagan, Charles H. Price II.”

Inside was contacts from the music industry, including the promoter for Sinatra and Elvis Presley, as well as Hollywood kingpin Lew Wasserman.

Another auction included a letter from Frank Sinatra to his ex-wife, Mia Farrow. The auctions came as the nation celebrates what would have been Sinatra’s 100th birthday. The New York Public Library has an exhibition honoring Sinatra, and HBO is releasing a documentary about the singer.

Anyone who wants to buy Janis Joplin’s Porsche will need to bring a pretty hefty checkbook. The custom-made car is expected to fetch up to $400,000 at auction, but high-interest items often go far above the expected selling price.

[Image via Sotheby’s]