Motor-mad rocker Eric Clapton has spent a staggering $4.8 million on a custom-made Ferrari to add to his collection.

The British guitarist, a renowned car collector, teamed up with designers at the Italian manufacturer's Special Projects division to re-body the Ferrari 458 Italia.

It was built in homage to one of Clapton's favorite vehicles, the 1970s Ferrari 512BB, which he crashed.

The sleek red model was put on display at a Ferrari dealership in London but was removed after it attracted too much attention.

One fan said, "It was on display very briefly but caused a big stir in the car community."