Florida Doctor Pays $40 Million for Ferrari's First EV at Auction

Ferrari's first all-electric vehicle, the Luce 'Chassis 0,' sold for $40 million at RM Sotheby's Monterey Car Week Auction, making it the most expensive brand-new car ever sold at auction. The buyer was Dr. Herbert "Herbie" Wertheim, a billionaire doctor and inventor from Florida who serves as founder and CEO of Brain Power Incorporated.

Bidding for the white five-seater EV started at $1 million and quickly climbed to $5 million, then jumped to $20 million before reaching $36 million and finally settling at the $40 million winning bid. A representative placed bids on Dr. Wertheim's behalf, according to footage of the auction.

The proceeds will support educational initiatives through the Ferrari Foundation.

A standard Ferrari Luce starts at $640,000 at dealerships, meaning this auction price was over 60 times the showroom cost. The EV features electric motors producing 141 hp at the front and roughly 415 hp at each rear wheel, delivering a combined 1,050 cv (1,035 bhp) and accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

The Luce outsold a 1996 McLaren F1 GTR, which was expected to fetch $35 million but sold for $34.6 million. Recent trends show younger millennial and Gen Z collectors favoring modern performance cars over classic 1950s and 1960s models, often treating purchases as investments for resale rather than driving them.

2 million in March. 5 million estimate. Hagerty reports nine of the ten most expensive cars sold at auction this year are Ferraris, and five of Monterey's top lots this year are from the Italian automaker.