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Janis Joplin's psychedelic Porsche nets $1.76M at auction

Even though she famously asked the Lord for a Mercedes-Benz, Janis Joplin loved her 1964 Porsche 356C Cabriolet with its psychedelic mural called History of the Universe. The mind-bending droptop went for an amazing $1.76 million at a recent RM Sotheby's auction in New York City and shattered the original estimate of between $400,000 and $600,000 for the sale. Seven bidders in a fight over the trippy car helped push up the price, and this is now the most ever paid for a 356 at public auction. According to RM Sotheby's listing, Joplin bought the Porsche used in 1968 and quickly gave it to a roadie for her band Big Brother and the Holding Company to create the mural. He covered the entire exterior with a variety of motifs including a landscape across the passenger side, butterfly on the driver's door, a rainbow connecting two faces at the back, and an eye on the front. Joplin proudly drove the convertible regularly until her death at just 27 years old in 1970. After the singer's passing, Joplin's siblings eventually took control of the groovy Porsche but made the odd choice to repaint the car in the original Dolphin Gray. They eventually realized that was an awful idea, and two artists used photos to recreate the mural. The family then loaned the 356 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, in 1995, and this auction was the first time the convertible went up for sale since Joplin bought it. You can get a great look at all the psychedelic details in the gallery above. PSYCHEDELIC JANIS JOPLIN PORSCHE SHATTERS ESTIMATE, BRINGS RECORD $1.76 MILLION IN NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK (December 10, 2015) - Tonight at the RM Sotheby's 'Driven By Disruption' auction in New York City, The Janis Joplin 1964 Porsche 356 C 1600 SC Cabriolet sold for $1,760,000*, well over the pre-sale estimate of $400/600,000. Spurring a spirited bidding contest between collectors in the room and on the phones, seven bidders competed for the iconic daily driver of legendary rocker Janis Joplin. The outstanding sales price represents a new record for any Porsche 356 sold at public auction. Purchased by the Queen of Rock'n'Roll from a used car lot in 1968, Joplin engaged Dave Richards, a friend and roadie with her band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, to customize it with a psychedelic 'History of the Universe' mural, rendering it one of the first true 'art cars' and one of the most famous and important Porsches of all time.

2014 Porsche Panamera Diesel is something to torque about

Porsche has been in the business of slaying sacred cows for the better part of a decade, from venturing into the SUV space with the Cayenne to the four-door realm with its Panamera hatchback. And if those vehicles didn't leave brand purists apoplectic enough, Porsche has been adding diesel and hybrid power to its portfolio, thought to this point, neither alt-fuel motivator has made its way into the brand's sports car lineup.
Today's Frankfurt Motor Show effectively marks the second-generation of diesel power in the Panamera, and this updated 3.0-liter V6 features 300 horsepower (50 ponies more than last year) and a whopping 479 pound-feet of torque, available from 2,500 rpm. That power is achieved with a new higher-pressure, water-cooled turbo and redesigned engine internals that include a new crankshaft and pistons. The newfound increase is said to raise top speed to 161 miles per hour from 152, and drop the car's 0-62 mph time from 6.8 seconds down to 6.0. It also figures to be a better handler, with a new torque-vectoring rear differential borrowed from its gas-powered brethren and a reworked transmission for crisper shifts. The suspension has also been retuned, along with the updated 2014 visuals first revealed at April's Shanghai Motor Show.
No word yet on the North American sales prospects of this diesel Panamera, but we imagine that depends in part on how well the Cayenne diesel is selling.

Editors' Choice: Top Five 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show Debuts

Consider the 2015-16 auto show season officially kicked off. The Frankfurt Motor Show offered a great look at the newest crop of production cars and conceptual machines, and brought some old favorites back into the spotlight for a closer look. (The Alfa Romeo Giulia, for example, debuted in June, but this was the first time most of us saw it.) Now that the dust has settled and we're all on flights back to the US, our editors cast their votes for their personal favorites from the Frankfurt show. These are the cars we truly loved seeing the most. But unlike other shows, there was no one runaway winner – all of the Top Five received positive praise from our team. We won't spoil the results, though. Scroll down to see what we liked most from this year's Frankfurt expo. 5th Place – MERCEDES-BENZ IAA CONCEPT View 12 Photos MIKE AUSTIN: The clean lines on this concept have me excited for a more elegant beauty to future Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Next to the Concept IAA, the lovely S-Class Coupe looks like an overstyled barge. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Yeah, the extendable rear is neat and all, but I'm more interested in the front-end styling of this one. It looks like the Tron version of a 300SL, in a good way. I'm hopeful it portends the future of Mercedes design. STEVEN EWING: I was super impressed when Mercedes said that, with the rear end extended, this concept has a drag coefficient of just 0.19. That's crazy aerodynamic. I'm not head-over-heels about the styling, but I think the lessons learned from this concept are really important, and will play a huge role in the future of Mercedes' products. 4th Place – ALFA ROMEO GIULIA View 15 Photos SEYTH MIERSMA: I can hardly express how in love with this car I am. The styling feels creative, modern, and evocative, without going over the top. The proposed performance is spectacular. And the Alfa badge speaks to a legacy of romantic motoring. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Pretty Italian car makes big promises and will probably deliver on about three quarters of them. I think that will still be enough for me. JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I'm really intrigued by the Giulia. It looks great, sounds awesome, and I'm expecting it to have a load more character than its German rivals. I hope I'm not disappointed. 3rd Place – JAGUAR F-PACE View 15 Photos GREG MIGLIORE: It's the first SUV for Jaguar, and I think they nailed the design, capability, and electronics. It's the right car at the right time.