Ferrari Cars and some of their famous owners, a short guide

Ferrari’s luxury sports cars have always had a special affinity for the association of not only the racing world and the upper echelons of the Formula One Grand Prix, but also a popular choice for the rich and famous.

A Ferrari parked outside an expensive boutique or cafe in Monaco would never “seem out of place”, right? This is probably due to the fact that Ferrari sports cars have always been priced fairly high for their wealth image to their owner.

With this in mind, cars owned by celebrities, Hollywood actors, and famous people have always garnered even more attention than their less famous counterparts. So when some of these famously owned cars end up at a classic car auction or are announced to be sold, a media frenzy begins and also a bidding war for the maximum price.

At a recent classic car auction at Silverstone, a rare 2003 “Ferrari 575 Maranello” with only 10,000 miles on the odometer was eventually sold for £ 66,000 and was bought by an unknown private buyer. The unique thing about this car was its special provenance from its famous previous owners.

The fact that this Ferrari was not only rare, but also included its previous owners; legendary guitar hero “Eric Clapton” and BBC radio and television host Chris Evans, both huge Ferrari fans in their own right.

Chris Evans has been in and out of the global motoring press for the past few years, with his growing Ferrari collection, now including seven in the lineup. But his latest acquisition is the one that has gotten everyone talking. It’s a very rare 1960 Ferrari 250 California Spyder, which cost over £ 5 million at auction. What makes this classic car even more special is that it is the only number 13 of the 56 cars produced of this model, but it was formally owned by the late (great) film actor James Coburn, who was a huge Ferrari fan.

James Coburn got his love for cars from his father and was reputed to have turned car fanatic actor Steve McQueen into Ferrari sports cars in the early 1960s.

Other celebrities and stars who share a love for Ferrari sports cars are, most notably, Jay Kay of the band Jamiroquai, who has had several Ferraris included; a Ferrari F40, a 360 Spider, a Ferrari Enzo, a Ferrari 456GT. Veteran rock singer Rod Stewart also owns a Ferrari F40, a 360 Spider, and now a new Murcielago.

Film and television star Joanna Lumley owns a classic Ferrari 328 GTS Targa, where as lead guitarist for the rock band Who she also has a passion for Ferraris, as Pete Townshend currently owns a Ferrari 550 Maranello.