visitRaleigh Creative Genius Blogging — Porsche By Design: Janis Joplin Sat Here
- kristystevenson
- Nov 29, 2013
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 28
Sampling of posts and photos promoting the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)
This beauty once belonged to the first lady of rock and roll, the inimitable Janis Joplin. And it is now the most famous Porsche 356C Cabriolet of all time (currently on display in the West Building of the North Carolina Museum of Art as part of the exhibit Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed).
"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends." -Janis Joplin
Thanks to hits like "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Cry Baby," Joplin dropped $3,500 for the then pre-owned oyster white vehicle from Estes-Zipper Motors in Beverly Hills. A civilized convertible with roll-up windows, the 356C was the precursor to the contemporary 911. Joplin paid friend and Big Brother and the Holding Company roadie Dave Richards $500 to create and paint the psychedelic masterpiece that now covers the car. The flowing compilation of rainbows, jellyfish and birds, butterflies and flowers, alligator skin and faces was Richards's idea, and he described it as "the history of the universe." A portrait of Joplin and her band appears on the front fender.
—Greater Raleigh CVB | 2013-2020
