The "Luce," Ferrari's first 100% electric vehicle, was auctioned at a charity event in California, USA, fetching a high price of $40 million, or about 1.32 billion baht. It set a record as the highest-priced new car sold at auction, with all proceeds going to support Ferrari Foundation's educational programs.
The Ferrari Luce, the brand's first fully electric car, achieved a $40 million (approximately 1.32 billion baht) hammer price at the RM Sotheby’s charity auction during Monterey Car Week in California, USA. This made the car the most expensive new vehicle ever sold at auction in history.
The auctioned car is a special bespoke model, chassis number 0, the very first to come off the production line. It features a special pearlescent white color called "Madreperla Semi-Gloss," which reflects and changes color under light, along with unique custom parts exclusive to this unit.
Sotheby’s initially estimated the car’s value at about $1.1 million (around 36 million baht), but the bidding escalated fiercely. Starting at $1 million, the price jumped in increments of $5 million until it closed at $40 million—nearly 60 times higher than the standard model’s launch price of approximately 20–23 million baht. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Ferrari Foundation to support global educational initiatives.
The Ferrari Luce has been one of the most closely watched automotive projects in recent years, as it is a collaborative design between Ferrari and LoveFrom, the design studio of Jony Ive, the former legendary head of design at Apple, known for the iPhone and iMac.
The car is a four-door, five-seat sports saloon powered by four electric motors and a 122 kWh battery. It delivers a maximum output of 1,035 horsepower, accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 2.5 seconds, has a top speed of 306 km/h, and can travel up to 530 kilometers on a single charge.
When the Ferrari Luce was launched in May, it faced significant backlash and controversy among Ferrari enthusiasts because it is the company’s first five-seat electric car. Many felt it abandoned the brand’s original identity and DNA. A former executive harshly compared it to "a washing machine with a Ferrari badge," causing Ferrari’s shares to drop 8% the day after the launch.
However, Benedetto Vigna, Ferrari’s CEO, has consistently defended the design and development of the Luce, stating that the car has a unique identity in both performance and design. He also noted that reservation numbers in major markets like China are meeting company targets.
Although this Ferrari Luce set the record as the most expensive "new" car ever auctioned, surpassing the previous Ferrari Daytona SP3’s $26 million record from 2025, the all-time record for the most expensive car ever sold at auction remains with a classic: the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, which sold for $142 million (approximately 4.692 billion baht) in 2022.
. . .BBC / The Telegraph