$40 Million Ferrari Luce is the Most Expensive New Vehicle Ever Sold, Here’s Who Bought It

By Ben McKimm - News

Updated: 18 August, 2026

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Table of contents

Table of contents

• Tailor Made Design and Swiss Leather Interior
• Record $40 Million Auction Result and Delivery Process

Readtime: 8 min

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• Dr Herbert Wertheim revealed as buyer of ‘Chassis 0’ Ferrari Luce.
• First production electric supercar sold for USD$40 million (approx. AUD$60.4 million).
• Transaction sets world record for most expensive new vehicle sold.
• Proceeds from the auction are donated directly to The Ferrari Foundation.
• Chassis 0 features Madreperla semi-gloss paint and custom Swiss leather.

Hammered as Lot 345 during the RM Sotheby’s sale at Monterey Car Week, the first production chassis of Ferrari’s flagship electric supercar, the Luce (chassis number ZFF21BUA8T0338000), has sold for USD$40 million (approx. AUD$56.28 million). Now, the winning bidder has been revealed as billionaire inventor and philanthropist Dr Herbert “Herbie” Wertheim. The transaction completely shattered pre-sale estimates of USD$1.1 million (approx. AUD$1.66 million) to USD$1.6 million (approx. AUD$2.4 million), establishing a world record as the most expensive new vehicle ever sold in recorded history.

Selling for 62.5 times the model’s standard USD$640,000 (approx. AUD$966,000) retail starting price, it surpasses the previous charity auction record of USD$26 million (approx. AUD$39.3 million) set by a Tailor Made Daytona SP3, which Wertheim also acquired at Monterey in 2025. RM Sotheby’s waived all buyer’s premiums to ensure the full USD$40 million (approx. AUD$60.4 million) figure is donated directly to The Ferrari Foundation to fund global educational initiatives.

Underneath its bespoke coachbuilt exterior, Chassis 0 shares the core underpinnings of the 1,036 HP (772 kW) Ferrari Luce EV, with a quad-motor 800V architecture and a 122 kWh battery pack developing 990 Nm (730 lb-ft) of torque. The five-seat GT sprints from 0–100 km/h in 2.5 seconds (0–60 mph in 2.4 seconds) while delivering a 530 km (329 miles) WLTP electric range. Inside, the cabin features a tactile control layout developed in partnership with Sir Jony Ive’s LoveFrom collective, as detailed in our Ferrari Luce EV interior preview. Following the conclusion of the Monterey sale, Chassis 0 will return to Maranello, Italy, for final preparation ahead of customer delivery in the first quarter of 2027.

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Tailor Made Design and Swiss Leather Interior

Ferrari Tailor Made is Maranello’s ultra-exclusive bespoke customisation program, operating much like a haute couture fashion house where clients work directly with a Personal Designer from the Ferrari Styling Centre to create one-off commissions.

Here with Chassis 0, Tailor Made developed an exclusive Madreperla Semi-Gloss exterior paint using custom pigments that shift from green to violet depending on the angle and intensity of light. It’s a semi-gloss application that combines gloss and matte textures, so they pronounce key contours of the bodywork. Frankly, it’s the best spec’d Luce we’ve seen so far, but with the car already selling out in key markets like China, we expect many more to show up as cars are delivered towards the end of 2026.

The white colourway extends across several functional exterior details, including dedicated white-finished wheels, custom white brake callipers, and a chrome Prancing Horse emblem mounted against an optical-white background.

When we look inside the cabin, Chassis 0 has seats upholstered in Le Mans metallic leather in Perla, crafted from selected Swiss hides. The leather’s reflective finish diffuses light across the interior surfaces. Meanwhile, secondary cabin elements that are typically finished in black have been replaced with Grigio Corvara trim to match the light interior scheme.

Engraved interior plaques officially identify the car as “Chassis 0,” the first production chassis of the Ferrari Luce program.

Who is Dr Herbert Wertheim?

Wertheim became the first researcher to discover that ultraviolet light causes cataracts and long-term eye damage in humans. He subsequently developed the world’s first UV-absorbing dye for plastic eyeglass lenses, a breakthrough that led to the founding of Brain Power Inc.

Brain Power Inc grew to become the world’s largest manufacturer of optical tints, diagnostic equipment, and ophthalmic chemicals.

Holding more than 100 patents and copyrights, Wertheim has channelled his wealth into high-profile philanthropic endeavours. His purchase of Chassis 0 marks his second consecutive record-setting bid at Monterey Car Week, following his USD$26 million (approx. AUD$39.3 million) purchase of the 600th Daytona SP3 in 2025, with both bids funding global educational initiatives through The Ferrari Foundation.

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Record $40 Million Auction Result and Delivery Process

The USD$40 million transaction sets a record for a new production vehicle sold at auction, surpassing the USD$26 million raised by the 600th ‘599+1’ Daytona SP3 at Monterey Car Week 2025.

With 100 per cent of the proceeds allocated to The Ferrari Foundation for global educational programs, RM Sotheby’s waived all buyer’s fees on the lot to ensure the entire winning bid benefited the charity. Built to US specifications, the auction was open to international buyers, with all import, export, and federalisation duties falling on non-US buyers. But for US buyers, final delivery must be processed through an authorised US Ferrari dealership.

While a $40 million charity bid is often assumed to be a free tax write-off for high-net-worth buyers, tax regulations (such as US IRS 501(c)(3) rules) only permit donors to deduct the amount paid above the vehicle’s Fair Market Value (FMV). With an estimated FMV near the car’s USD$1.6 million pre-sale valuation, roughly USD$38.4 million qualifies as a tax deduction. At top marginal tax rates (~37%), this saves around USD$14.2 million in tax, meaning the buyer still pays roughly USD$25.8 million net out of pocket.

Following its Monterey auction debut, Chassis 0 has returned to Maranello, Italy, to undergo final assembly verification prior to its scheduled Q1 2027 delivery.

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