First Ferrari Luce sells for $56m

The first production example of the Ferrari Luce has sold for US$40m at auction during Monterey Car Week.

The winning bidder paid more than 60 times the recommended retail price to secure ‘Chassis 0’, with proceeds going to The Ferrari Foundation. Australian examples are not expected to arrive until Q4, 2027.

The controversy surrounding Ferrari’s first electric car, the Luce, hasn’t stopped one wealthy bidder shelling out US$40m (AUD$56m) for the first production example.

This smashed the pre-auction estimate of US$1.1m, which itself was almost twice the Luce’s US$640,000 recommended retail price, and makes the Luce the most expensive new car ever sold.

The winning bidder has been identified as Dr Herbert Wertheim, who set the previous record for the largest amount paid for a new car at Monterey Car Week 2025 when he bought a Tailor Made Ferrari Daytona SP3 for US$26m.

Four electric motors power the Luce, providing up to 772kW for a 0-100km/h sprint of 2.5sec and a 0-200km/h time of 6.8sec. The 122kWh battery delivers a claimed range of 530km (WLTP).

In both cases, Dr Wertheim’s motives are not necessarily the purchase of the vehicles themselves but philanthropy, as all proceeds went to The Ferrari Foundation, a public charity that funds future educational initiatives.

The 87-year-old billionaire optometrist and businessman has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to support higher education and medical research.

The first production Luce, dubbed ‘Chassis 0’, was specced through Ferrari’s Tailor Made program, painted in Madreperla, a semi-gloss white finish that allows hints of green and violet to be seen depending on the light.

To match, the wheels, brake calipers and badge background are all also white.

Inside, Le Mans metallic leather (created from specially chosen Swiss hides) is finished in Perla with secondary elements in Grigio Corvara.

Other notable Ferrari sales from the RM Sotheby’s auctions include US$17.825m for a Daytona SP3, US$12.105m for an F50, US$11.555m for a 288 GTO, US$9.41m for an Enzo and US$8.695m for a LaFerrari, all further evidence of the extraordinary growth in classic Ferrari values.

With the first production Luce now sold, vehicles will start being delivered to other buyers.

Designed by LoveFrom, the design firm founded by Sir Jony Ive and Australian Marc Newson, the Luce attracted a hailstorm of criticism when it was revealed, but this hasn’t stopped Ferrari from reportedly selling the entire 2026 allocation, believed to be in the region of 500 cars.

Exact Australian pricing has not yet been confirmed but based on that of Europe and America it will sit very close to $1m.

Ferrari Australasia president Michele Comelli has confirmed orders have been placed in Australia and New Zealand, with the first local cars expected in the fourth quarter of 2027.

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