While best known for his mastery of the guitar, Eric Clapton also happens to be a serious long-time car guy with a well-known penchant for Ferraris. One of his particular faves has been the striking late-’70s-era 512BB Boxer Berlinetta, of which he’s owned three original versions. Earlier this year, Clapton took possession of this made-to-order replicar, officially designated the Ferrari SP12 EC. Created under the auspices of Ferrari’s One-Off Program, it’s believed to have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 million to produce.
Designed by the automaker’s Centro Stile Ferrari in concert with Pininfarina and the factory engineers at Maranello, the Ferrari SP12 EC is based on mechanicals from the current mid-engine Ferrari 458 but features completely new bodywork that puts a subtle contemporary twist on the elegant lines of the production 512 BB model. While the 512BB was fitted with a 4.9-liter flat-12 engine, this high-velocity homage to Clapton and his passion for the cars of the marque reportedly has retained the 458’s 4.5-liter V8. In addition to his fondness for the original 512 BB, model, Clapton has also owned a classic Ferrari 250 GTO SWB, a Ferrari 575 and a Ferrari Enzo.
