1969 Chevrolet the Jimi Hendrix’s Corvettes—Slight Reprise

Let’s get one thing straight: there’s never been a guitarist like Jimi Hendrix. Sure, the evolution of rock music has developed better guitarists, but Jimi changed the rules of rock, and he was the whole package besides − writing, producing, and being a genuine gentleman. But with all that money and adulation, didn’t he own a cool car or two back when cars and music were at their coolest?

Jimi Hendrix and the Chevy Corvette had a lot in common in the 60s. First and foremost both of them are the iconic stars of the same era. But besides that, Jimi and his favorite car were both uncanny in action, loud in performance, and both made their audience stand up from their seats in excitement.

Another completely different story of Hendrix’s first Corvette has made the rounds but it is suspect on a couple of details. Famous photographer, Ron Raefaelli, was with Hendrix in Maui, Hawaii. Rafaelli claimed Hendrix crashed his car there. The Experience did play dates in Honolulu and vacationed in Maui but they were only there for two weeks. It’s unlikely the car was shipped to Hawaii for two weeks only to be sent back when the band continued to tour. A more likely event is Hendrix renting a Corvette while on the island. There is footage of Ron Rafaelli and Hendrix together in a silver Corvette but this was shot in Shokan, New York in 1969 and that was Hendrix’s second Corvette.

Before anything else, Jimi Hendrix was renown among his close friends to be quite a bad driver, some even claiming he never actually had a driving license. He did, however, own a few hot muscle cars. His first one was a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette. According to the band’s drummer Mitch Mitchell and his autobiography, the Jimi Hendrix Experience band was on tour in America promoting their second album when the guitarist bought his first car.