The Techno-Classica Motor Show is said to be the world’s biggest trade show for Vintage cars. This year, the show ran from April 6th to April 10th and set a new record with 201,034 visitors over the five-day period. The primary purpose of the show is to host classic cars from any brand and to provide a public trade forum for selling and purchasing some of the world’s prettiest vintage, classic, and prestige vehicles. This year, if you stopped by the Ferrari->ke252 exhibit, you would have seen a California T->ke3183 that was built to pay tribute to the Ferrari 250 SWB that was once owned by Eric Clapton.

The California T might be Ferrari’s entry-level model and is often criticized for being a car that is purchased “just so you can say you own a Ferrari.” This specific California T, however, isn’t your everyday California T. This California T was designed by Ferrari’s Tailor Made service with a unique paint job and a few other cool features that really set it apart, including a special paint job, some leather upholstery, and it even has a special option equipped that was recently unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show.->ke228

Unfortunately, Tailor Made didn’t go as far as to make this California T right-hand drive like Clapton’s 250 SWB, but it still did a fine job paying tribute to his iconic car. So, with that said, let’s take a look at what Tailor Made did to make this California T so special.

Continue reading to learn more about the Ferrari California T Tailor Made.

2016 Ferrari California T Tailor Made 250 SWB Tribute

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  • Model: 2016 Ferrari California T Tailor Made 250 SWB Tribute
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What makes the Ferrari California T Tailor Made special

Remember the Handling Speciale option that debuted at the Geneva Auto Show? Well this Ferrari California T has been equipped with it, and it’s similar to the Handling GTE package that was offered for the Ferrari 599 GTB back in 2010. On this model, it offered revised programming for the transmission and the traction control system, new suspension dampers, revised spring rates, and a new exhaust system. According to Ferrari, the package improves the driving dynamics of the car, especially in “Sport” mode. This, however, is just the beginning for this tribute-paying California T.

To pay Tribute to Clapton’s 205 SWB, Tailor made took a paint sample and recreated the Grigio Scuro finish and the Rosso Corsa racing stripes, creating an almost identical shade. That’s right; this California T sports the same livery of Clapton’s 250. But wait, there’s more. The front grille and rear diffuser have been painted in matte Grigio Ferro Met. The fences and tailpipes are also painted in matte black, giving this car a subtle but unique look.

On the inside, the face of the dash, most of the door trim panels, the center console, and the seats have all be wrapped in heritage bourdoux leather, which further pays tribute to Clapton’s iconic 250 SWB. Furthermore, there is a plaque attached to the lid of the center console that indicates the car is equipped with optional HS package.

Aside from the things mentioned here, everything else about the Tailor Made California T is stock. That means that it still has the 3.9-liter V-8 that delivers 560 horsepower and 557 pound-feet of torque. With that kind of power, the T gets to 60 mph is just 3.6 seconds. Of course, it sounds a little cooler on the way to that benchmark with the new exhaust that comes with the HS package, but as far as we know performance figures stay the same. It would have been a lot cooler if Tailor Made took the time to convert the car into right-hand drive to really honor Clapton’s old 250 SWB, but that would have been a lot of work. At the end of the day, this is still a pretty nice way for the brand to pay some homage to the car, and that leatherwork on the inside is pretty cool too.

Ferrari California T

The California T is a 2+2 sports car that also happens to be Ferrari’s cheapest offering. It’s often criticized as being a car you buy just so you can say you own a Ferrari, but that doesn’t change the fact that it has become a favorite among grand touring aficionados. Despite being the cheapest model available, the car still boasts more than 550 horsepower, a 0-to-60 mph sprint of 3.6 seconds, and a top speed of 196 mph. Needless to say, the California T was a huge departure from the previous model, and now that the Handling Speciale package is available for 2017 models, it gets even better. At the time of this writing, the California T was going for $197,000, which isn’t bad for a Ferrari.

Read our full review on the Ferrari California T here.