"Is This Really a Ferrari?" Once Criticized but Still a Ferrari... Sells for $40 Million, Setting New Record for New Car Price

Ferrari's First Pure Electric Luce Custom Model

Breaks All-Time New Car Auction Record at Charity Event

The pure electric vehicle 'Luce', which received harsh criticism for its design that is distinct from traditional supercar aesthetics and was deemed "not like a Ferrari," has achieved the milestone of setting the all-time highest price for a new car in just three months since its debut.

Ferrari's first pure electric car 'Luce'. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News.

According to CNN and other U.S. media outlets on August 17 (local time), the custom-built 'Ferrari Luce Chassis 0' was sold for $40 million (approximately 5.64 billion won) at a charity auction held in California on August 15. This price is 36 times higher than its original estimate of $1.1 million (about 1.5 billion won).

Ferrari's First Pure Electric Vehicle Luce. RM Sotheby's

According to RM Sotheby's, which hosted the auction, this was a new record for the highest price ever paid for a new car at auction. Furthermore, all proceeds from the sale will be used for educational initiatives through the Ferrari Foundation.

'Luce' means "light" in Italian and is Ferrari's first fully electric car, unveiled in May. One of its key features is a dedicated electric motor for each of its four wheels. The regular production model is an ultra-luxury supercar priced at 550,000 euros (about 900 million won). Customer deliveries are scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.

Upon its reveal, Luce received polarizing reactions. Traditional Ferrari cars have typically featured sharp and angular lines with aerodynamic elements. In contrast, Luce adopted a relatively rounded exterior design.

It adopted a rounded design different from the traditional Ferrari, receiving harsh criticism from longtime fans. RM Sotheby's

Fans accustomed to Ferrari's traditional design aesthetics poured out harsh critique, and negative sentiment online contributed to Ferrari’s share price plummeting by more than 8% on the Milan Stock Exchange. At the time, Ferrari emphasized that “Luce is a completely different Ferrari made for an entirely new customer,” underscoring the company’s ongoing evolution.

Meanwhile, the Luce Chassis 0 that was sold at the recent auction is a uniquely customized, one-off vehicle with a new exterior design tailored to the buyer’s specifications. It features a semi-gloss special paint in a pearl-like color, which makes the car appear different shades—from green to purple—depending on the angle of the light.

Following the auction, the car will return to its production site in Italy for final finishing, and it is scheduled to be delivered to the buyer in the first quarter of next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.