Sports car manufacturer Ferrari’s first all-electric vehicle once again defied earlier criticism by selling for $40 million (±€35 million), making it the most expensive new car ever sold at auction.
The Sotheby’s charity auction of the ‘Tailor-Made’ Luce with chassis number 000 (or, in fact, ZFF21BUA8T0338000 in full reading) at Monterey Car Week broke the record posted last year, also for a Ferrari, when a customized Daytona SP3 sold for $26 million.
The buyer is unknown. The entire sum will fund educational projects through the Ferrari Foundation, a charity institute linked to the manufacturer.
A few weeks ago, we posted an article on the Luce pointing out that the initial criticism about its looks and its electric drive apparently didn’t stop people from wanting one, as several sources and media outlets have already reported that the planned 2026 production was already sold out.
Not a genuine Ferrari
People apparently have to get used to an electric Ferrari, especially one designed by Jony Ive, the father of the iPhone and long-time design lead at Apple. Some critics, at the official presentation of the new Luce in May, said the car looked like “a mixture of an electric Honda Accord and a Tesla Model 3”, while others referred to “the new Nissan Leaf”.
Indeed, not very flattering for a car that costs €550,000 and is Ferrari’s most expensive full production car. Ferrari’s CEO, Benedetto Vigna, responded like this at the time: “The Ferrari Luce has nothing to do with electric cars you have seen from other players. You have to see it and drive it to understand that it wasn’t copied – not the interiors, not the exterior, not the performance.”
Apart from the pope himself, few people outside Ferrari have actually driven a Luce. Apparently, that hasn’t stopped them from applying to buy one, culminating in a record offer for the first ‘tailor-made’ one.
In May, the wave of criticism from die-hard Ferrari ICE fans led to a drop in the company’s share price. Meanwhile, Ferrari raised its full-year guidance last month, citing the apparent success of the Luce with customers, as well as higher Q2 results driven by demand for limited-run models like the F80 and more expensive versions of the Purosangue SUV.
Unlike some hesitant competitors, Ferrari estimated that it was necessary to offer a fully electric vehicle. And more than probable, it wanted it to be completely different from its other offerings.
For now, electrification is not Ferrari’s biggest priority. Last year, Ferrari said it expected to generate 20% of its turnover from fully electric vehicles. But when things change, it will also be ready.
