Eric Clapton

British guitarist and long-standing Ferrari client who commissioned the one-off SP12 EC, a 458 Italia rebodied by Ferrari and Pininfarina after the 512 BB.

He was born on 30 March 1945 in Ripley, Surrey, and raised by his grandparents. In October 1963 he joined The Yardbirds as guitarist. He left when they turned towards pop singles, played with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and in 1966 formed Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. After Cream's last concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 November 1968 he founded Blind Faith, then released a 1970 album and formed Derek and the Dominos. His official calendar still lists dates in 2026.

A late-1960s visit from George Harrison in a dark-blue Ferrari 365 GTC began the collection. In his 2007 autobiography he wrote that he had never seen one in the flesh, ordered a new 365 GTC from the Egham dealer for four thousand pounds, and taught himself to drive it. Ferrari later recorded that he owned at least three 512 BBs. That was the model he asked the factory to interpret on a current chassis.

He commissioned Ferrari and Pininfarina to build a modern car on the 458 Italia, named SP12 EC after him and drawn from the 512 BB. Centro Stile Ferrari designed it with Pininfarina; Maranello kept the 458's 4.5-litre V8 after he had asked for a twelve-cylinder. Ferrari published the car in May 2012. He told the official magazine that taking part was one of the most satisfying things he had done, and that the finished car would be driven.