Many of us dream of becoming a famous actor or musician. A life in the limelight surrounded by adoring fans and success. But what about those who have already reached stardom? What do they dream of becoming next? For legendary songwriter and rock guitarist Eric Clapton, it was a dream to become a collector of Ferrari classics.
Eric has certainly entertained the masses over the years while playing in the Yardbirds, Cream and as a solo artist. He has amassed three Grammy awards, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but some of his greatest achievements and awards are parked in his garage.
Over the years Eric has owned numerous cars throughout his lifetime and while no official list seems to be available, we do have a good number of cars to show you from his lifelong obsession with the automobile.
Eric’s first car was a 1938 Cadillac Fleetwood. It was a right hand side driver that was built specifically for the London Motor Show. Clapton eventually bought the car for 750 British Pounds which seems like a steal of a deal! It was a good deal however Eric was not able to drive the car so it sat on his property merely being admired. According to his 2007 autobiography, Ben Palmer used to take Eric for rides in his Cadillac, but Palmer said the car was a nightmare to drive as it was too big and had no power steering.
Eric Clapton’s love for Ferrari started at an early age during the 50s and 60s Grand Prix racing era. However he did not become an official Ferrari collector until George Harrison introduced him to a 365 GTC Ferrari that George had just purchased. Harrison brought it over to Eric’s house to show off his new prized possession and for Eric it was love at first sight! In his 2007 autobiography Eric wrote “One day in the late sixties he (George Harrison) arrived at my house in a dark blue Ferrari 365 GTC. I’d never seen one in the flesh before and my heart melted. At that point, it was like seeing the most beautiful woman on earth, and I decided there and then, that even though I couldn’t drive, I was going to have one too. I had no license, and had only ever driven an automatic, so I set about teaching myself to drive using a clutch, in that Ferrari. I loved that car!”
Pictured above is a Ferrari 365 that has been painted back to its original white color after Clapton painted it silver in 1981.
One car in Clapton’s collection stands out from the rest and that is his 1964 Ferrari 250 Lusso. Lusso means Luxury in Italian and this car certainly lived up to its name. Only 350 were produced which makes the car that much more elusive and special. With its V12 Columbo engine the Lusso produced an engine purr that would be music to any collector’s ear. This may be the reason the Clapton loved this car so dearly. The Lusso is so rare that one sold for auction in 2009 for $2.3 million. Of course that one was owned by Steve McQueen so that I am sure upped its asking price.
In 1967 Clapton was gifted a one-of-a-kind Mini Cooper from his dear friend George Harrison. Again Harrison was helping to fuel Eric’s love for collector classics. This Mini was designed by legendary coachbuilder Harold Radford. Radford became famous for being able to take a modest Mini and turn it into a car as luxurious as an Aston Martin. The Mini also became as expensive as an Aston after all the luxury options were added. This iconic Mini was adorned with Indian peace symbols and was also showcased in Magical Mystery Tour, a film by the Beatles. While Clapton only owned the Mini for two years before returning it to Harrison, he still feels like it was one of the greats of his collection.
Clapton stated in an interview that the Lusso 250 is and always will be his favorite. He does however praise his Ferarri 612 Scaglietti as being a close second. The 612 is an amazing 2+2 grand tourer that is excellent on the open roads of Europe and a real joy to drive. Many Ferrari enthusiasts have a different opinion from Eric about the 612 saying that it is to mild to be considered a proper Ferrari. Clapton sticks to his guns however and says it is still one of his favorite in his collection. He even praises it higher that the Ferrari 599 GTB that he also owns. No one will deny the absolute excellence of the 599 GTB, however Clapton still likes the 612 better.
When it comes to exclusive Ferrari collectors, not many top the coveted Enzo. In order to obtain this car when it was first debuted back in 2002 you needed to be invited by Ferrari to own one. Not only was Eric Clapton invited, but he was actually the first person in the U.K to get one! And while most Enzo owners were having their vehicle transported to them via flatbed trucks, Eric decided to go pick his up and drive it back home himself. What an epic drive that must have been! It was smooth sailing for the rock god for the most part except for the speeding ticket he received outside of Paris for going 145 miles per hour on public roads… can you blame him?
Clapton has a soft spot for American classic cars as well. One of his lyrics states “I get off on ’57 Chevys.” Its from “I’ve Got a Rock ‘n Roll Heart” on his 1983 album “Money & Cigarettes”. In his collection he is known to possess a 1949 Chevy pickup, a 1932 Ford Victoria with a Rousch V8 and a classic 1932 Ford Roadster. Each of them has been meticulously restored to original condition and rarely see the light of day or the open road. Although there is one shot of him with a childish grin as he cruises his ’32 Roadster.
One of his latest and most expensive additions is the one-off Ferrari 458 that he had custom built by Ferrari. It is basically a 458 that has been custom fitted to Clapton’s taste and pays homage to the Ferrari 512BB that he dearly loves as well. This one-of-a-kind car was given a special name… it is known as the SPC-12 EPC (Special Project Car, number 12, Eric Patrick Clapton). They were originally going to try and replace the V8 with a V12, but simply could not fit that big of an engine onto the small 458 frame. After 2 years and close to $5 million dollars he finally has a crown jewel for his collection. You know you have made it when Ferrari will build you your own car.