Joplin's Porsche Drawing Crowds

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 1965 Porsche that belonged to Janis Joplin is drawing crowds to the Petersen Automotive Museum.

The red 356 Cabriolet is splashed with psychedelic butterflies and flowers, a God's eye symbol on the hood and a sun face with Joplin's Capricorn birth sign.
``The Porsche is an eye-popping, traffic-stopping, original hippie-mobile,'' said museum director Dick Messer said. ``It embodies all that she was and all that she wanted to be.''

After Joplin's 1970 death, the Porsche was kept and driven until 1977 by her manager, Albert Grossman. It was then obtained by the singer's sister and brother, Laura and Michael Joplin, who decided in 1993 to restore it to its original far-out glory.

Joplin's Porsche is the latest edition to the museum's Cars and Guitars of Rock 'n' Roll exhibit on display until Jan. 28.