Billionaire who bought the first Ferrari Luce EV for $40M has been revealed and it cost him 36 times the auction's estimate
Published on Aug 17, 2026 at 4:01 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Aug 17, 2026 at 4:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
The billionaire who has just bought the first-ever Ferrari Luce EV for $40 million has been revealed after the car was sold at auction.
While it has been controversial, the Ferrari Luce has certainly had the global attention that Maranello would have hoped for.
Incredibly, the first-ever one has already been sold at auction thanks to RM Sotheby’s at Monterey Car Week.
Amazingly, the car sold for more than 36 times the usual price of the EV.
Why did the Ferrari Luce sell for so much?
The auction was carried out by RM Sotheby’s at Monterey Car Week.
Very early VIN examples of a new car often do sell for huge money when they go under the hammer.
Quite often, they are sold off to raise funds for charities, and it was no exception with this Luce EV.
Sotheby’s has said that all the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Ferrari Foundation’s educational programmes.
The car itself was Chassis 0, and these very early production cars have a huge amount of interest.
But who is the man who has bought this electric car?
A doctor has bought the first Ferrari Luce
As shared by Supercars For Sale, Dr. Herbert ‘Herbie’ Wertheim is the man who has spent $40 million on Ferrari’s first-ever electric car.
Dr. Wertheim is an optometrist, inventor, billionaire businessman, and major philanthropist.
Born in Philadelphia in 1939, he started a bakery in Florida with his family.
In 1969, he discovered that ultraviolet (UV) light causes cataracts and damages human eyes.
Wertheim then invented the first UV-absorbing dye for plastic eyeglass lenses.
Wertheim then founded Brain Power Inc., which became the world’s largest manufacturer of optical tints, as well as ophthalmic chemicals.
He has also donated many times to charities and organisations in the past.
In 2026, he donated $100 million to Baptist Health South Florida.
He has also donated $100 million to the University of Florida Health.
Why the Luce was so controversial
For many, the idea of spending $40 million on a Ferrari Luce seems unthinkable.
The car faced a huge amount of backlash when it was revealed in May 2026.
Many criticized the design of the car, saying it strayed too far from what Ferrari has produced in the past.
The fact that it was also electric and had five seats was a point of criticism for many.
They said these features meant it had moved too far away from the brand’s identity.
Ferrari’s share price also dropped the day after the car was launched.
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and former Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo were also critical of the car.
“The car is risking the destruction of a legend,” said di Montezemolo.
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
