{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”Article”,”image”:”https://car-images.bauersecure.com/wp-images/270813/090-ferrari-luce-chassis-0-charity-auction-front.jpg”,”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/ferrari/2026-luce-charity-auction/”},”url”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/ferrari/2026-luce-charity-auction/”,”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”CJ Hubbard”,”description”:”CJ is a former Associate Editor of CAR, and now runs parent company Bauer Mediau2019s Digital Automotive Hub u2013 the in-house team that provides much of the online content for CAR and sister site Parkers.co.uk as well as helping out with CAR magazine. Heu2019s been writing about cars professionally (if thatu2019s the right word) for nearly two decades, though attempts to hide this fact with an extensive moisturising routine. Rumour has it his first word was u2018caru2019 as well, mind, so his fascination with the topic goes back more than double that length of timeu2026nHis former life at specialist automotive editorial agency Motoring Research means heu2019s also written for the likes of PistonHeads, the Sunday Times, City AM, Auto Express and the Microsoft MSN network, and has appeared in print and on video all over the world. Heu2019s also previously taken a diversion into the world of light commercial vehicles, which means he knows an unhealthy amount about vans and pick-ups, too.nA career starting in 2006 has seen him cover events and create features from all over the globe, including locations as diverse as the Australian Outback, the Arctic Circle, the Omani desert, North and South America, India, China, Thailand and Cuba. An enthusiast and a technologist, he approaches the current quickening evolution of all things automotive with an analytical interest that aims to put the driver first, and feels incredible lucky to be experiencing so many of these changes first hand.nOver this time heu2019s driven everything from city cars to articulated trucks, and almost every type of power-source imaginable. Thereu2019s no steam car in the archive, but as well as petrol, diesel and electric, CJu2019s tried LPG, CNG and several varieties of hydrogen, including rotary and V12 as well fuel cell. Heu2019s daily driven a Lamborghini (tough gig; apparently even tougher to stop mentioning it, several years later), crossed Europe in a van, crashed on track, travelled on and off-road in all kinds of conditions, been kinetically recovered, run out of fuel, and even found himself reported as stolen. In Sweden.nCJu2019s personal four-wheeled back catalogue includes E30 and E34 BMWs, Fords fast and slow, multiple MX-5s, a Saab 900, a Nissan Sunny andu2026 a Vauxhall Cavalier. Having not learnt his lesson spending far too much money ITB-modifying an early Eunos Roadster, heu2019s now burning all his spare cash trying to keep a notoriously unfickle 996 alive. A car he bought largely by accident due to its entirely Nephrite Green interior. As such, heu2019s the very embodiment of why you should do your research before buying a car, rather than afterwards, a perspective that usefully comes across more correctly in his writing than his bank account.nFor cat pictures, random musings, and to see just how green that cabin really is, you can find CJ on Instagram, Threads and possibly Bluesky. Heu2019s also on LinkedIn, but is yet to work our quite why. CJu2019s latest CAR articles are listed below.”,”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://car-assets.bauersecure.com/wp-images/14264/cjhubbard.jpeg”,”caption”:”CJ Hubbard”},”sameAs”:[“https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-hubbard-1a649888/”,”https://x.com/ir_427″,”https://www.instagram.com/ir_427/”],”url”:”https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/author/cj-hubbard/”,”alumniOf”:{“@type”:”EducationalOrganization”,”name”:”MA (Distinction) in Motoring Journalism from Coventry University (2005-2006), BA (First) in American Studies (History) from University of Kent (1998-2002)”},”email”:”cj.hubbard@bauermedia.co.uk”,”jobTitle”:”Head of the Bauer Digital Automotive Hub”,”knowsAbout”:”automotive,road testing,car news,car advice,long-term tests,product testing”,”worksFor”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”CAR magazine”}},”dateModified”:”2026-08-16T09:31:08+01:00″,”datePublished”:”2026-08-16T09:22:28+01:00″,”headline”:”Has Ferrariu0027s controversial electric car redeemed itself? Chassis 0 sells for $40m at charity auction”,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Bauer Media”,”brand”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”Car Magazine”},”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://car-assets.bauersecure.com/images/logos/car.200×88.png”}}}

Has Ferrari’s controversial electric car redeemed itself? Chassis 0 sells for $40m at charity auction

By CJ Hubbard

Published: Today 09:22

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  Ferrari Luce charity auction – Chassis 0 sells for $40m

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  Ferrari Luce charity auction -rear, Madreperia white, studio

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  Ferrari Luce charity auction – top, doors open

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  Ferrari Luce charity auction – interior finished in Le Mans metallic leather and Grigio Corvara

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  Ferrari Luce charity auction – dashboard, steering wheel

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  Ferrari Luce charity auction – unique Luca bade with optically white background

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► First ever electric Ferrari makes record price
► Chassis 0 is a Tailor Made Luce with unique finish
► All auction proceeds going to charity

The Ferrari Luce – Maranello’s first electric car – hasn’t exactly been sort of headlines, but here’s one to top the lot. The first example offered for auction has just been sold by RM Sotheby’s for $40,000,000. That’s equivalent to a little shy of £30,000,000 at current exchange rates. And not a typo.

The Luce not only outsold a unique McLaren F1 GTR in the same auction – that went for for an equally staggering $34.6m – this electric Ferrari has become the most expensive new car ever sold.

The estimate was $1.1m.

What the…?

Given the controversial design and EV powertrain of the Luce has seemingly seen it gone down like a premium-brand lead balloon with Ferrari customers and internet commentators alike, this extraordinary result might raise a few eyebrows. But there are a few things going on here.

Firstly, it was a charity auction taking place during the heady atmosphere of Monterey Car Week 2026. All proceeds will be donated to ‘elevating global education initiatives’ via the Ferrari Foundation. This combination will have definitely cracked a few chequebooks open.

Secondly, there’s the car itself. This Luce is Chassis 0 – making it the very first production example of a Ferrari EV. Ever. The opportunity to be the first person to purchase that is unrepeatable. And we can imagine that unique opportunities are catnip in certain circles.

It’s also a Tailor Made Ferrari, featuring bespoke finishing that goes well beyond the standard customer offerings. ‘Thoughtfully crafted with a central concept of light,’ it’s painted in a unique iridescent semi-gloss white called Madreperia – which appropriately translates as mother-of-pearl. The wheels and brake calipers are finished in the same shade.

On the inside the Luce’s eye-catching interior is made even more so by white Le Mans ‘metallic’ leather with Grigio Corvara, a light grey. The Ferrari Luce logo on the dashboard is exclusively set against a white background, which is also unique to this car. The overall vibe is early 2000s sci-fi movie. Feels appropriate for the Luce at this point.

We have driven the Ferrari Luce

The auction also comes after Ferrari has allowed a few Luce prototype drive reviews – including one by former CAR editor Angus MacKenzie that you can find on this very website.

And while it’s clearly controversial in many ways, and the 1035bhp quad-motor powertrain is certainly unlike any Ferrari that’s come before, the Luce still drives like a true Ferrari. And that might have reassured a few collectors as well.

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