Ferrari Luce Sells for ₹382 Crore at Charity Auction, Sets New Record
Ferrari Luce has fetched around ₹382 crore ($40 million) at a charity auction in California, setting a new record for the most expensive new car ever sold at auction.
The one-off, “tailor-made” Ferrari Luce was sold by Sotheby’s during Monterey Car Week over the weekend. Ferrari said the sale surpassed the previous record of $26 million, which was achieved in 2025 when a customised Ferrari Daytona SP3 was auctioned. The identity of the buyer has not been revealed.
The sale is particularly significant because the Luce represents Ferrari’s first fully electric production model and marks a major shift for a brand long associated with high-performance petrol-powered sports cars.
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Ferrari Luce draws attention despite criticism
Ferrari unveiled the Luce in May with a starting price of €550,000, or roughly $636,000 at the time. While the car attracted strong interest from collectors and Ferrari customers, its electric powertrain also triggered criticism from some enthusiasts who remain closely attached to the company’s traditional combustion-engine heritage.
The reaction has not stopped Ferrari’s broader luxury strategy from gaining momentum. Ferrari shares rose as much as 1.4% in Milan on Monday. The stock had already gained about 13% during the year through Friday, supported by demand for high-priced and limited-production models, including the $3.6 million F80 hybrid.
Ferrari has not disclosed detailed sales figures for the Luce. The company is expected to keep initial production limited to several hundred vehicles, with its established strategy of giving loyal customers priority access likely to play an important role in demand.
The car’s performance in the collector and second-hand markets could eventually become another important test of how successfully Ferrari’s electric transition is being received.
A Ferrari designed to be different
The Luce has a noticeably different shape from many of Ferrari’s traditionally aggressive sports cars. Its rounded design and four-door layout give it a more practical character while retaining the performance credentials expected from the marque.
The vehicle was developed in collaboration with LoveFrom, the design studio founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, who played a key role in the design language of products such as the iPhone and iMac.
Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said after the model was unveiled that orders had come from both existing Ferrari customers and new buyers. He also stressed that the Luce was developed as a distinctly Ferrari interpretation of an electric vehicle rather than simply following the design or engineering approach used by other EV manufacturers.
Ferrari Luce performance and battery details
Under the skin, the Luce uses four electric motors, with one motor assigned to each wheel. Ferrari lists a total output of 1,050 cv, enabling the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds.
The electric Ferrari has a claimed top speed of 310 km/h and a driving range of up to 530 km on a full charge. It uses a 122 kWh battery and an 800-volt electrical architecture.
Despite its performance focus, the Luce weighs about 2,260 kg and is designed to accommodate five occupants, giving it a more spacious and practical format than Ferrari’s traditional two-seat supercars.
Ferrari has also developed a new vehicle control unit for the car that coordinates its various systems and updates operating targets up to 200 times per second. The front motors produce 210 kW at the axle, while the rear motors provide a combined 620 kW.
The company says the car generates 7,750 Nm of total wheel torque, while its front motors can reach speeds of up to 30,000 rpm and deliver maximum output extremely quickly.
Ferrari tries to preserve the driving experience
For Ferrari, making the Luce electric is only part of the challenge. The bigger task is retaining the emotional character that has traditionally defined its cars.
The company has therefore worked on sound, chassis response and torque delivery alongside outright performance. The Luce uses an elastically mounted subframe designed to reduce unwanted vibrations, while sensors monitor the natural frequencies of rotating components.
Ferrari says this information is processed to create an artificial sound experience inspired by the character of its combustion-engine cars.
The car also features the company’s Torque Shift Engagement system, designed to deliver torque progressively during cornering. An electronic version of Ferrari’s familiar manettino system manages power delivery, torque characteristics, traction and performance through Range, Tour and Performance settings.
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What the ₹382-crore auction means for Ferrari
The $40 million auction price does not represent the standard retail price of the Ferrari Luce. Instead, it reflects the extraordinary value collectors can place on a unique, customised Ferrari associated with a major milestone in the company’s history.
The auction nevertheless gives Ferrari an early indication of the enormous collector interest surrounding its first fully electric car. Whether that enthusiasm extends beyond one-off auction cars and into regular customer demand will become clearer as deliveries and ownership experiences develop.
Ferrari has continued to rely on limited production, exclusivity and high pricing to protect the desirability of its cars. The Luce will now test whether the same formula can work in the electric era.
For a company whose identity has been built around the sound and feel of combustion engines, the success of the Luce could ultimately become one of the clearest indicators of how Ferrari’s relationship with electric performance develops in the years ahead.
