“My friends all drive Porsches,” sang Janis Joplin. But this was true not just for her friends because she too owned a Porsche: a 356 SC with a colourful paint job. It was recently sold at an auction for $1.76 million.

Picture it: Janis Joplin cruising down the highway in her brightly painted Porsche 356, the California sun shining above her and the Pacific wind in her hair, round frames on her glasses, the radio turned up, a bottle of Southern Comfort in the glove compartment. Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.

They all drove Porsches, every one of her friends. And Joplin was no exception. With her hair streaming in the wind, the legendary blues and rock singer enjoyed life and its freedoms in a colorful 1964 Porsche 356 SC, possibly one of the most famous cars of the Swinging Sixties.

Joplin had spent $3,500 dollars for the classy cabriolet, and another $500 for her roadie Dave Richards to portray the ‘History of the Universe’ on the car in every colour of the rainbow. The car was not meant to grace a garage. On the contrary, the singer never lost an opportunity to set off on a wild trip.

Following three paint jobs, a number of owners, 20 years in a museum, and an auction at Sotheby’s, another passionate soul will now be taking the wheel of this legendary Porsche.