NEW YORK: The famous psychedelic Porsche convertible driven by late rock legend Janis Joplin smashed estimates to sell for nearly $1.8 million in New York on Thursday in a frenetic five-minute bidding war, RM Sotheby’s said.

It was a world-record price at auction for a Porsche 356, a spokesman for the firm said.

The custom-painted 356C 1600 Cabriolet model, dating back to 1964 and which had never left the Joplin family, tripled its highest pre-sale estimate of $600,000 in a five-minute sale peppered with applause.