Ferrari’s first electric car, the Luce, has sold for $40m (£29.5m) at a charity auction in California, setting a record for a new vehicle sold at auction.
The custom Luce was sold through RM Sotheby’s for more than 35 times the car’s usual price. Sotheby’s said proceeds from the sale will support the Ferrari Foundation’s educational programmes.
The auction house did not identify the buyer of the vehicle, which features bespoke parts, special wheels, customised brakes and a white finish.
The Luce was designed with input from British iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive and marked Ferrari’s entry into the electric vehicle market.
Its launch in May drew criticism from some commentators, who argued that the battery-powered, five-seat model departed from Ferrari’s traditional design identity.
Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini and former Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo were among those who criticised the car. Di Montezemolo said Ferrari was “risking the destruction of a legend”.
Ferrari’s chief design officer, Flavio Manzoni, said in May that criticism was part of the innovation process and that he believed the Luce would eventually be appreciated.
The company has not disclosed a sales target for the Luce. However, a Financial Times report said Ferrari had met its target for the year, supported by demand from China.
Ferrari vehicles regularly command high prices at auction. A bespoke Ferrari Daytona SP3 sold for $26m for the company’s education initiatives in 2025, then setting the record for the highest price paid for a new car at auction.
The overall auction record remains the $142m sale of a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé in 2022.
