Plenty of people online have called Ferrari's Elettrica ugly, but on Saturday night, someone made a very different statement — with $40 million.
This particular Elettrica, designated Chassis 0, is the first unit of Ferrari's first all-electric production car. It hammered for $40 million on Saturday at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction, far surpassing the auction house's original estimate of over $1.1 million. The price also puts the Elettrica among the most expensive cars ever auctioned, trailing only two 1960s Ferrari race cars, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Stromlinienwagen, and the legendary 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupe."
The Elettrica's launch was one of the most polarizing car debuts in recent memory. As Ferrari's first model without an internal combustion engine, skepticism was inevitable — but the controversy didn't stop at the powertrain. The car's exterior, designed by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, drew comparisons to Nissan EVs from critics, with backlash so intense that former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo publicly suggested the prancing horse badge should be removed to avoid "ruining a legend."
Clearly, the buyer who paid the record price didn't agree. Built by Ferrari's Tailor Made customization division, the car features a glossy Madreperla semi-pearlescent paint finish, a Perla-colored Le Mans metallic leather interior, and Grigio Corvara trim accents, along with a plaque marking it as Ferrari's first all-electric production model. Its powertrain matches the standard Elettrica, with a four-motor setup delivering 1,035 horsepower.
First-production Ferraris have always been hot commodities in the collector market, and charity auctions tend to loosen buyers' wallets even further, so Chassis 0 was never going to come cheap — though the final price still exceeded expectations. The winning bidder won't take delivery until next year.
According to Road & Track, RM Sotheby's waived its standard buyer's premium for this sale, meaning the full sale amount will go directly to the Ferrari Foundation to support future educational programs.
