Ferrari’s first fully electric car has made history before customer deliveries have even begun. The first production chassis of the Ferrari Luce sold for $40 million at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction, smashing its $1.1 million pre-sale estimate and setting a new record for a new car sold at auction.
The extraordinary result came during Monterey Car Week, just months after Ferrari officially unveiled the Luce, its first battery-electric model. The auction proceeds will be donated to The Ferrari Foundation, which supports educational programs.
The car sold at auction was chassis ZFF21BUA8T0338000, designated “Chassis 0” and identified as the first production unit of Ferrari’s Luce program.
RM Sotheby’s offered the car without reserve and waived the buyer’s premium, meaning the entire $40 million hammer price represents the sale and charitable donation.
The result is more than 36 times the car’s $1.1 million pre-sale estimate. It is also roughly 62 times the Luce’s standard listed price, which was announced at around 550,000 euros, or approximately $640,000.
The winning bidder was not publicly identified.
Unlike an ordinary auction car, however, the buyer will not immediately take possession. The Luce will return to Ferrari’s Maranello factory for final assembly, with delivery scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
A One-Off Ferrari Luce Tailor Made for the Auction
The $40 million Ferrari is not a standard production-specification Luce. It is a Tailor Made example featuring a collection of unique design elements created specifically for the car.
Its most distinctive feature is a one-off “Madreperla Semi-Gloss” exterior finish that can shift between green and violet depending on the lighting.
Inside, Ferrari used Le Mans metallic leather in Perla, complemented by Grigio Corvara accents. Ferrari says the combination is significant because the Luce is the first model in which the traditional black interior treatment has been replaced by this particular color scheme.
The car also features dedicated wheels, custom brake calipers and a Prancing Horse emblem finished in optical white.
The result is effectively a one-of-one Ferrari that combines the significance of the company’s first EV with its highly personalized Tailor Made program.
Ferrari’s First EV Faces a Divided Reaction
The $40 million auction result is particularly notable because the Ferrari Luce initially generated considerable debate following its unveiling.
Ferrari introduced the electric model in May as the company’s first fully electric production car, marking a major shift for one of the world’s most recognizable performance brands.
The design drew criticism from some enthusiasts and investors, while Ferrari’s stock initially fell by about 8% following the launch.
Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo, who led the company until 2014, was among the critics. He publicly questioned whether the new electric model could affect Ferrari’s identity and legacy.
The skepticism surrounding the Luce was also part of a broader slowdown in the luxury-performance EV market. Porsche and Lamborghini, among other high-end automakers, have scaled back or adjusted some electric vehicle plans as demand for expensive EVs has proven more difficult to predict.
Ferrari, however, has maintained that the Luce is designed to appeal both to existing customers and to buyers who previously had no reason to consider a Ferrari.
Ferrari Luce Demand Tells a Different Story
Despite the criticism, early demand for the electric Ferrari appears to have been strong.
Ferrari reportedly sold out its entire 2026 production target within two months of the Luce’s launch, suggesting that customer interest has been considerably stronger than some of the initial market reaction indicated.
That makes the $40 million auction result even more significant. The sale does not necessarily represent the market value of a regular Ferrari Luce, but it demonstrates the enormous premium collectors can place on historically important Ferrari models.
The auction car was effectively an opportunity to own the starting point of Ferrari’s electric era.
