MARANELLO’S ELECTRIC DAWN: CONTROVERSIAL FERRARI LUCE SMASHES WORLD AUCTION RECORD AT $40 MILLION AFTER INITIAL STOCK MARKET TURMOIL

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA   In an extraordinary turn of events that has stunned the global automotive industry, Ferrari’s deeply polarising first ever all electric vehicle, the Ferrari Luce, has officially become the most expensive new car ever sold at auction.

Crossing the block at the world-renowned RM Sotheby’s charity auction in Monterey, California, a unique one off bespoke example designated as “Chassis 0” (Chassis Number: ZFF21BUA8T0338000) fetched a staggering $40,000,000 (£29.5 million). The mind boggling hammer price crushed its initial presale estimate of $1.1 million by nearly forty times.

RM Sotheby’s generously waived its traditional buyer’s premium for the lot. The entirety of the $40 million sum will go directly to The Ferrari Foundation, destined to fund global educational initiatives and youth development programmes. While the identity of the winning bidder remains officially undisclosed, high profile reports inside the auction room suggest the record breaking hammer fell to an elite American billionaire collector.

From Market Plunge to Record Breaker

The record shattering auction sale marks a dramatic redemption arc for the Italian marque. When Ferrari officially unveiled the Luce, a $650,000 (€550,000 / £470,000) four-door, five-seat battery electric vehicle the initial reception was brutally hostile.

Penned in collaboration with Love From, the design collective led by legendary former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, the Luce abandoned Ferrari’s aggressive, razor sharp supercar heritage in favour of extreme aerodynamic efficiency. Social media critics mercilessly mocked its smooth, egg like silhouette, widely comparing the £470,000 hyper-EV to a Nissan Leaf. Even former Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo publicly voiced dismay, cautioning that moving away from iconic combustion styling risked “destroying a legend”.

The public backlash triggered immediate panic on Wall Street and the Borsa Italiana. On the morning following its debut, Ferrari’s share price plunged over 5% to 7%, wiping out roughly £3 billion in market capitalization in a single trading session as investors panicked over brand dilution.

Yet, commercial realities quickly painted a vastly different picture. Despite online mockery, ultra-wealthy collectors flocked to secure build slots. Ferrari confirmed that the initial annual production run of 5,000 units completely sold out within weeks. In China a market where European EV imports have struggled significantly a special allocation of 88 units vanished in under an hour.

 

The $40M Specification: Chassis 0

The car that ignited the Monterey bidding war was no ordinary production model. Built under the Ferrari Tailor Made personalisation scheme, Chassis 0 is officially the very first production chassis crafted in the Luce programme.

Specification	Details
Model	2026 Ferrari Luce “Tailor Made”
Chassis Number	ZFF21BUA8T0338000 (“Chassis 0”)
Hammer Price	$40,000,000 USD (£29,500,000 GBP)
Auction House / Location	RM Sotheby’s — Monterey Car Week, California, USA
Beneficiary	The Ferrari Foundation (100% of proceeds)
Estimated Delivery	First Quarter (Q1) 2027

 

Bespoke Exterior & Interior Details:

• Paint: Finished in a world first Madreperla Semi Gloss iridescent paint. Formulated with special pigments, the finish visually shifts between brilliant violet and deep emerald green depending on ambient sunlight.
• Cabin: Upholstered in metallic Perla Le Mans leather sourced from hand selected Swiss hides. Trim details that are normally finished in black plastic or carbon have been converted to Grigio Corvara.
• Badging & Hardware: One off custom milled alloy wheels, bespoke brake calipers, a dedicated “Chassis 0” cabin plaque, and iconic Scuderia Ferrari shields set against an optical-white background.

Under the Skin: Engineering Marvel

While purists may bemoan the loss of Maranello’s shrieking V12, the engineering underpinning the Luce is undeniably formidable:

• Powertrain: Four independent permanent-magnet electric motors (one at each wheel) delivering vectoring dynamic torque.
• Total Output: A staggering 1,050 cv (1,035 bhp / 772 kW).
• Performance: 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in a blistering 2.5 seconds, with a top speed exceeding 310 km/h (193 mph).
• Battery & Range: A massive 122 kWh battery built on an 800 volt architecture providing over 530 km (329 miles) of range and 350 kW DC ultra-fast charging.

Despite winning the auction, the anonymous billionaire won’t be taking Chassis 0 home immediately. Ferrari has retained the vehicle so it can return to Maranello for display and final mechanical sign offs before official white-glove handover in early 2027.

The monumental $40 million result proves that even when electric transitions rattle stock markets and divide fans, the allure of owning a historic “first” from the Prancing Horse remains completely unmatched in the hyper car realm.