Ferrari Luce Charity Sale Establishes Record Price Rather Than Market Signal

Ferrari's first fully electric car, the Luce, sold for $40m at a Monterey Car Week charity auction, smashing the record for a new car sold at auction and benefiting the Ferrari Foundation's education programmes. Ferrari's first fully electric production car, the Luce, sold for $40m (£29.5m) at a charity auction held during Monterey Car Week in California, becoming the most expensive new car ever sold under the hammer. The sale, staged by RM Sotheby's, generated proceeds more than 35 times the Luce's standard retail price, with all funds directed to the Ferrari Foundation's education programmes. According to HiConsumption , the auction took place on 15 August 2026. The vehicle sold was chassis number 0, the very first production example of the model, offered as Lot 345 in a "Tailor Made" configuration built with bespoke components, according to HiConsumption . It featured a unique white finish, custom wheels and specially designed brakes, distinguishing it from standard Luce models. Reporting from Zero2Turbo confirmed the winning bid converted to more than 600 million South African rand, matching the $40m figure and cementing the sale as a new benchmark for new-car auctions. Sotheby's has not disclosed the identity of the buyer, and neither the auction house nor Ferrari has offered further comment when approached by the broadcaster. Sotheby's described the sale as an unmissable

Ferrari’s first EV auctioned off at record $40mn on x (opens in a new window) Ferrari’s first EV auctioned off at record $40mn on facebook (opens in a new window) Ferrari’s first EV auctioned off at record $40mn on linkedin (opens in a new window) Ferrari’s first EV auctioned off at record $40mn on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Simply sign up to the Electric vehicles myFT Digest -- delivered directly to your inbox. Ferrari’s first fully electric car was sold for a record $40mn, making it the most expensive new car ever auctioned despite a backlash over its design. First unveiled in May, the Luce was sold by Sotheby’s to an unnamed buyer at Monterey Car Week, an annual event in California where rare classic cars and luxury vehicles are showcased, according to the auction house. The auctioned vehicle was a one-off, produced by Ferrari for its charitable arm. The Luce is designed by former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive, and a standard model is priced from €550,000. The Luce’s auction price, which far exceeded presale estimates of $1.1mn, sets a record for a new car, surpassing the $26mn paid for a one-off Ferrari Daytona SP3 at last year’s Monterey event. Ferrari’s first EV remains short of the record for any car sold at auction, which was set instead by a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé that sold for €135mn in 2022. The Italian luxury carmaker said the sale was an “ou

Ferrari’s first fully electric car has sold for $40m (£29.5m) at a high-profile charity auction in California, setting a record for a new car sold at auction. The one-off Ferrari Luce, created with bespoke design details, achieved a price more than 35 times higher than the model’s usual cost. The sale combines a landmark moment in Ferrari’s shift towards electric vehicles with an unusually high-value charitable donation. It is the first all-electric model produced by Ferrari. The sale proceeds will support the Ferrari Foundation’s education programmes. The buyer has not been publicly identified. The auction set a new record for a new Ferrari sold at auction. The result underlines the appeal of rare, historically significant cars to collectors, even as Ferrari’s move into electric motoring has divided opinion. The auctioned car was a unique version of the Luce, featuring an exclusive white finish, special wheels and customised brakes. Sotheby’s described it as an opportunity to own the first production example of Ferrari’s new electric model. The $40m price far exceeded the previous record for a new Ferrari sold at auction. That benchmark was set in 2025, when a bespoke Daytona SP3 raised $26m for Ferrari’s educational initiatives. Ferrari said the auction proceeds would go to the Ferrari Foundation, which supports educational programmes. The sale therefore serves both as a fund

A bespoke model of Ferrari's first fully electric vehicle sold for $40 million in a charity sale, setting a record for a new car sold at auction. The auction comes nearly three months after the unveiling of Ferrari's first fully electric car, which sparked a negative market reaction. The luxury carmaker raised its full-year guidance last month as it beat Wall Street's second-quarter expectations. A personalized model of Ferrari' s first fully electric vehicle has sold for $40 million in a charity sale, defying market skepticism and setting a record for a new car sold at auction. The Sotheby's auction of the Luce "tailor made" at Monterey Car Week in California said the lot marked an "unrepeatable opportunity" to acquire the first production chassis of the Luce program, which featured a unique semi-gloss finish and other bespoke parts. The auction house did not name the winning buyer of the luxury car and said the proceeds would be donated to Ferrari's foundation of educational programs. Ferrari's "tailor made" program is an exclusive initiative for cars customized to a buyer's precise specifications. The blockbuster auction comes nearly three months after Ferrari unveiled its first fully electric car, which was priced at 550,000 euros (roughly $640,000). The move marked a departure from the aesthetic of typical Ferraris and came despite other sports car manufacturers, notably P

Calculated deterministically from the recorded market observations cited in this story.