5 Ferraris Owned By Eric Clapton That Prove He Has Great Taste
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Eric Clapton is arguably one of the greatest guitar players of all time. What can't be argued is that he's the only musician ever to be admitted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three different times. It's interesting to note that Clapton may have had as many Ferraris in his car collection as guitars he used during his legendary career.
Clapton is an admitted car enthusiast who has owned numerous vehicles: from an old Mini Cooper, to an even older Cadillac (via GQ Magazine), a Chevy pickup, two different vintage Ford hot rods, and even the odd Porsche or two (via 21motoring.com). But the bluesy musician is utterly obsessed with the Prancing Horse, having bought and sold more than a dozen Ferraris over the decades (via Billboard). We'll focus on five that highlight the man's impeccable taste for Italian.
The list must begin with the one that started it all. In his 2007 autobiography, Clapton says his obsession with Ferraris began in the late 60s when his good friend George Harrison (of The Beatles) popped over driving a dark blue Ferrari 365 GTC. His "heart melted" when he first saw it, likening it to "seeing the most beautiful woman on earth."
Ferrari 365 GTC
Some sources have misconstrued the story of Clapton's 365 GTC. GQ and CARHP claim that Clapton bought Harrison's Ferrari, repainted it to silver, then changed it again to white. However, according to Hagerty (quote from Clapton's autobiography), Harrison actually gave him the phone number to his Ferrari dealer (not the car itself), and Clapton immediately ordered one "like George's," saying he paid "a princely sum of four grand" for it (via Hagerty). This is despite not having a license or knowing how to drive a stick shift (via GQ).
GQ's color misconception might stem from the fact that between 2003 and 2010, a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC Berlinetta traded hands several times, including a relatively short stint with Clapton. During those seven years, though, the color changed from Polar White to silver, back to Polar White (via Bonhams). At a 2013 Bonham auction in the UK, the car sold for £578,300 (somewhere around $772,000). However, this is not the 365 GTC Clapton first purchased in the late 60s, as noted in his autobiography, but it's possibly being mistaken as such.
Per Ferrari, the two-seat 365 GTC coupe replaced the 330 GTC in late 1968, and was produced until 1970. It came with a 267-ci V12 producing 320 horsepower, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, with a top speed of 155 mph. Only 168 were made, and one in "good" condition will cost $681,000 more — average sale price is $685,000 — than Clapton paid for his new (via Hagerty).
Ferrari 512BB
Clapton loved the Pininfarina-designed Ferrari 512BB model so much that he owned three of them (via Hagerty).
Announced at the 1976 Paris Salon, the BB stood for "Berlinetta Boxer" (via Ferrari) and was actually the Italian car maker's first "proper road car" (via Ferraris Online). It was available in both right and left-hand drive options, but no U.S. version was ever produced. It was meant as a replacement for the 365 GT4/BB, and was made until 1981, when it was replaced by another model (the 512BBi). Only 929 were made during that time (via Ferrari).
This 5-liter engine had two banks of six cylinders horizontally opposed, with belt-driven twin overhead cams per bank (via Ferrari), making it Ferrari's first mid-engine V12 production car (via Ferraris Online). The 301 cubic inch engine had four triple choke Weber 40 IF 3C carburetors that kicked out a claimed 340 horsepower, with a top speed of 187.6 mph (via Ferrari). Since the 512 BB is carbureted, it's the "most powerful and best sounding" in Ferrari's "Boxer" line of vehicles (via Ferraris Online).
Ironically, Enzo Ferrari, who was not keen on creating a V12 because he felt the car would be too fast, was more or less forced to concede when other car makers — specifically, Lamborghini and Pantera — began offering V12s to its customers (via Ferraris Online).
Ferrari Enzo
Speaking of Enzo Ferrari: In 2002, the Italian car maker dropped the Pininfarina-designed supercar named after its founder Enzo. When it was released, it showcased the latest track-derived Formula 1 technology (via Ferrari).
The front of the carbon fiber car was derived from the nose cone of a Formula 1 car. The two-seat Berlinetta didn't have a rear spoiler; instead preferring to funnel air through sculpted panels that created a better ground effect. Ferrari cut gear shifting time to 0.15 seconds using a new electro-hydraulic F1 6-speed transmission (via Ferrari).
The 366 cubic inch, naturally aspirated 6.0-liter, V12 mid-mounted engine kicked out 651 horsepower and 485 foot-pounds of torque, had a top speed of over 217 miles per hour, and went from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds (via Motor Trend).
With a production run that lasted only two years (2002-2004), Ferrari only built 400 of the Enzos. Like other cars from the famed automaker, you had to earn an invitation to buy one. Clapton did and was the first person in the U.K. to get one. And instead of letting the car come to him, he personally went to Italy and drove it back himself, wherein he proceeded to get a ticket for going 115 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 30 (via GQ).
According to Hagerty, a 2003 Enzo in "good" condition today has an estimated value of $3.5 million.
1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
Lusso means "luxury" in Italian, and this sleek Italian sports car positively drips it. According to GQ, this is Clapton's favorite Ferrari. The 2-door fastback with a Berlinetta body and Kamm-style tail panel designed by Pininfarina (and built by Scaglietti) was a "statement of sweeping elegance, with a hint of aggression" (via Ferrari).
The 250 GT Lusso sat somewhere between Ferrari's race cars and its high-end luxury models. It debuted at the 1962 Paris Salon as the replacement for the 250 GT Coupe, and was the first model in the 250 GT series built as a purely performance road car. This model didn't have any extra interior space and was missing a luggage rack. Production continued into the latter half of 1964, and only 350 were made. The 3.0-liter, 180 cubic inch V12 had three Weber 36 DCS carburetors, produced 240 horsepower, and topped out at 149 mph (via Ferrari).
According to CARHP, the Lusso had an MSRP of just $13,375 when it first sold. Today, the average value of a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso in "good" condition will set you back at least $1,250,000 (via Hagerty).
2012 Ferrari SP12 EC
No list would be complete without including Clapton's very own custom Ferrari. The Ferrari SP12 EC (three guesses what "EC" stands for, and the first two don't count) was a collaboration Clapton had in 2012 with Ferrari's Centro Stile and Pininfarina (via Road & Track) through its "One-Off Programme" (via Hagerty). According to Road & Track, it cost $4.7 million to build.
The SP12 designation is also interesting. While it's actually the eleventh "Special Project" car built, Clapton's lucky number is three, so Ferrari obliged by placing 12 — actually, the numbers 1 and 2 side by side — to make three (via TFJJ).
Clapton wanted to pay tribute to the 512BBs, which he loved, and wanted to have a V12. Alas, Ferrari would only go so far, even for a superstar like Clapton, and dropped a V8 (albeit a powerful one) under the hood instead (via GQ). His SP12 EC is based on the 458 Italia (via GQ) and replicates some other 512BB features, including the two-tone body, slotted louvers on the hood, vents behind the side windows, and most of the upper rear panel slopping off the roof, among other things.
The car is strapped with a 4.5-liter, naturally aspirated V8 kicking out 562 horsepower, 398 foot-pounds of torque, and is mated to a 7-speed sequential transmission. It can "Slowhand" its way from 0-62 in 3.3 seconds, at a top speed of 202 mph (via CARHP).