In one of the most shocking outcomes ever at a public auction, the first Ferrari Luce ‘Tailor Made’ with chassis #0 absolutely obliterated its $1.1 million estimate by capturing $40,000,000 at the RM Auction in Monterey, California just minutes ago. And this is all for a car that starts at $600,000 and was panned in the press. Everyone outside and inside the room is talking about and no one can quite believe it.
I’ve spent a large chunk of this week sitting in the room at the large conference hall, watching the auctions slowly proceed. While there’s been the usual and predictable rounds of spirited bidding all week, the action eventually settles into an almost metronomic rhythm. That’s not what happened when the Luce–Ferrari’s first fully electric car–came on stage.
Starting with a $1 million opening bid, the auctioneer could scarcely catch his breath before the price shot up to $5 million. And then $10 million. And then $25 million. All the way up to the $40 million, making it one of the highest selling Ferraris of all time.
What-in-the-ever-loving-cavallino-rampante is going on here?
A Special Ferrari For A Good Cause
Just as a reminder, last year a Ferrari 250 LM sold for about $40.3 million. That was a rare version of a historic car with an impeccable history. This is Ferrari’s attempt to make something a little more appliance-like. A four-door hatchback of sorts.
Not that it’s your normal electric car. The Luce features four electric motors producing a combined 1,035 horsepower. The front two motors combined are good for a relatively pedestrian 282 horsepower, whereas the two rear motors produce 835 ponies. That means 0-60 mph comes in a nauseatingly quick 2.5 seconds or better. Other stats are a little more pedestrian, as it gets 330 miles of range on the European WLTP test cycle.
This specific Luce isn’t all about numbers, as RM points out in its listing:
The exterior is defined by an exclusive Madreperla Semi-Gloss finish, developed specifically for this car. Its formulation incorporates a dedicated Ferrari Tailor Made pigment, capable of producing iridescent reflections that evolve from green to violet depending on the intensity and angle of the light. The semi-gloss finish preserves the depth and richness of the pearlescent effect while creating a sophisticated balance between gloss and matte surfaces, enhancing the sculptural quality of the car’s forms. The complexity of the application process ensures that each example is unique and inimitable in its chromatic nuances.
The interior introduces a new interpretation of luminosity through the use of Le Mans metallic leather in Perla, an exclusive material developed for the Ferrari Tailor Made program and derived from carefully selected Swiss hides. Its distinctive softness and reflective properties contribute to the diffusion of light within the cabin, enhancing the sense of space and refinement.
For the first time, the secondary interior elements are finished in Grigio Corvara instead of traditional black, creating a visual continuity that reinforces the luminous character of the entire project. The theme of white extends to numerous details developed specifically for this configuration, including dedicated wheels, bespoke brake calipers, and the Ferrari logo set against an optical white background—an exclusive solution created for this car.
Right, so it’s black and white.
This isn’t just any auction, though, as 100% of the money is going to charity. Specifically, it’s going to The Ferrari Foundation. What, exactly, is The Ferrari Foundation. It is, per ProPublica, a real 501 (c)(3). what it does, though, has been a little vague. Our friend Abigail Bassett tracked down some more info for this article in Observer:
A Ferrari spokesperson said that the Ferrari Foundation “is a collaboration with Save the Children, whereby Ferrari made a significant contribution to help rebuild the Aveson Charter School in Altadena, California, whose campus was tragically destroyed by the Eaton Wildfire earlier in 2025.”
Because it’s a charity donation, in theory, the buyer will be able to write off a significant chunk of the proceeds.
Is This Real?
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There’s been chatter all week about how this auction might go. Would someone hoping to ingratiate themselves to Ferrari bite the bullet and bid high? Would Ferrari tap a bidder to make sure that there was a good impression made?
I’m not sure anyone other than the bidder themselves was ready for the biggest auction so far this weekend to come on Saturday night and be for the one Ferrari no one was quite sure of. Again, a yellow and rare Ferrari Daytona SP3 sold for less than half this amount yesterday at RM.
Shortly after the auction I spoke with a friend who arrived shortly after and I asked “Could you believe the Ferrari Luce sold for $40?” and he replied “$40,000?” When I told him he was off by three zeroes his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
It’s always difficult to know what’s really going on in a situation like this, though much of the bidding was in the room (as opposed to the phones or online), which makes it seem a little less like some of the drama was artificially encouraged. I’m sure Ferrari had a contingency so as not to embarass themselves, but they didn’t seem to need it.
There was also a moment where the bidding seems to have stalled out at around $30 million. It then jumped to $32 million and, skipping a few steps, went to $35 million. Then $36 million. The unidentified buyer didn’t seem to want to wait to get outbid and went to $40 million, which scared everyone else off.
Cheers went up in the room when the auctioneer finally dropped the gavel.
“How do we top that ladies and gentleman?” he asked after taking a moment to collection himself.
Whatever the motivation for the buyer, it’s unlikely he’s going to need to wait for his next allocation.
Bryant Kreaden, The Car Shrink and former manager of Ferrari of Beverly Hills, says it’s likely a buyer who needs a big tax write-off and has
“I don’t think it’s necessarily that he loves a Luce, I think he’s a Ferrari enthusiast, he probably owns Formula One cars [and] is that level of a collector and probably needs a write-off,” said Kreaden.
Top photo: RM
I don’t understand.
Not the Luce. Not 40MM for one. Not the one of the most expensive Ferraris sold . . . ever.
I just don’t understand.
In the words of my sainted mother, “It’s your money and you can do what you want, but I think you’re a damn fool.”