Philanthropist Herbert Wertheim paid a record price at auction for a Ferrari Luce sports car in the name of charity.

Published on: Aug 19, 2026, 17:53:37 IST

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An optometrist turned billionaire philanthropist with an eye for bold design paid a record-setting $40 million for a bespoke Ferrari Luce at auction. Just don’t expect him to drive it much.

“It will not be my personal car to go to Publix to get bananas,” said Dr. Herbert Wertheim, who goes by Herbie to his friends.

The electric vehicle’s glass-roof design was ridiculed by some Ferrari fans when it was unveiled in May. When Wertheim bought the Ferrari on Saturday at Sotheby’s charity auction during Monterey Car Week in Monterey, Calif., he paid millions over the estimated sale price, despite the Luce being panned.

But it didn’t bother Wertheim, who has a flair for patterned loafers and wears a signature red fedora. He has even been given special dispensation to wear his hat indoors when he visits Mar-a-Lago, the private club owned by his friend Donald Trump.

“I’m kind of forward,” Wertheim said of his fashion choices. “I’ve been wearing that red hat for 20 years.”

The 87-year-old bought the Luce mainly for charity, he said. The proceeds of the record-setting sale go to the Ferrari Foundation to support education programs. Plus, he envisions lending it to worthy organizations in the future to help them raise money. It is all part of Wertheim’s goal of dispensing his vast fortune, which he puts at an estimated $5 billion to $7 billion.

“It is hard to give away billions of dollars,” the octogenarian told The Wall Street Journal.

Wertheim, who paid $38 million for a Palm Beach, Fla., home in 2024—less than the cost of the Luce—is known for his generosity to numerous charitable organizations, as well as his abundant spending and his sartorial taste.

An optometrist and physician by training, Wertheim founded Miami-based Brain Power, a company that develops technology for the eyewear industry, and has made a reputation as a successful stock picker. Wertheim said his stocks were up 40% this year.

The Ferrari Luce, the first fully electric car produced by the luxury Italian car company, isn’t even the most expensive thing he owns, he said. Six months ago he bought another Florida home that cost roughly $65 million, he said.

Along with being the first Ferrari with an all-electric powertrain, the Luce is also Ferrari’s first five-seater vehicle and its first mass-produced car to carry a price tag above $600,000.

Wertheim’s unique model, dubbed “Chassis 0,” has an estimated worth of $1.1 million, according to Sotheby’s. The car has been shipped to Italy for modifications—although Wertheim didn’t know what kind—and he will take possession of it next year.

“I asked them whether it’s going to come with a full charge,” he said, noting that the electric car is supposed to be able to go from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

“I don’t want to break the sound barrier, but you know, it’s nice when you’re trying to get on the highway quickly,” he added.

But much like the Ferrari Daytona SP3 he bought last year for $26 million at the same auction, Wertheim’s bigger plan for the Luce—or the Lucy, as he calls it—is to be a fundraising workhorse for the many charities he supports.

“This is happiness,” he said, of finding creative ways to unload his billions. “I’m going to give it all away.”

Write to Jack Morphet at jack.morphet@wsj.com

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