The Ferrari Luce is an electric-powered car with four doors, boasting 1,035 hp and a top speed of 193 mph. According to the report, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna warned that it takes time to absorb the Luce, and he’s not wrong – it’s the most radical Ferrari in the company’s history.
The Luce defies all Ferrari convention, with a cab-forward four-door design and limo-like room inside. It’s the largest and heaviest Ferrari ever built, with an interior and exterior shaped by a company based outside Italy – LoveFrom, a San Francisco design shop founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson.
Each wheel of the Luce is driven by a radial-flow permanent synchronous magnet e-motor, hooked up to a 122-kWh battery by an 800-volt electrical architecture. The four e-motors have their magnets arranged in a Halbach array, directing the magnetic flux toward the stator to maximize torque density.
The Luce’s powertrain delivers 1,035 hp and 730 lb-ft of torque, with a range of 330 miles on the WLTP test. The car rolls on an aluminum-intensive skateboard chassis with an upgraded version of the active suspension system used on the F80 and Purosangue, which could be similar to the customizable car themes seen in other vehicles.
The Luce’s interior and exterior design is largely the work of LoveFrom. “It is a Ferrari, but it doesn’t look like a Ferrari,” said Marc Newson. “It doesn’t have all the typical design cues – we came to the conclusion that was actually the point of the exercise.”
At 197.8 inches from nose to tail, the Luce is the longest Ferrari ever made, yet it rolls on a wheelbase that’s 2.3 inches shorter than the Purosangue. The car’s big wheels – 23 inches up front and 24 inches at the rear – help disguise its mass.
The Luce’s exterior appears to float around a sleek, dark, aerodynamic cabin structure. “One of the big founding ideas was this one surface that sort of circles the entire car,” said Jony Ive. The effect is most striking at the front end, where bodywork connects the tops of the two front fenders, forming a bridge over the cabin structure.
Jony Ive is aware the Luce is a polarizing car, but he defends its deceptively simple surfacing and somewhat slab-sided form. “Whether people respond favorably or not, there’s a reason behind every single surface,” he said. Marc Newson added, “With an EV, aero is everything – it’s probably the most challenging parameter to work within.”
The Luce’s Technical Specifications
The Luce’s technical specifications are impressive, with a 0.68 g of lift-off regenerative braking and a 500 kW charge rate. The car’s carbon ceramic brakes have 15.4-inch rotors up front and 14.6-inch units at the rear.
The Luce’s SSC X-controlled active torque vectoring, active suspension, and rear wheel steering mean the car should feel lighter and much more agile than its size and mass would suggest. Despite its 4,982-pound curb weight, the Luce is expected to deliver exceptional performance and handling, possibly rivaling that of the forest service inspired vehicles.
Design and Collaboration
The collaboration between Ferrari and LoveFrom began in 2019, when Ferrari executive chairman John Elkann first discussed a collaboration with LoveFrom. The project took shape when Benedetto Vigna was appointed Ferrari CEO by Elkann in 2021.
“What they set out to do with this car, they understood could only be done on an EV platform,” said Marc Newson. “They got LoveFrom on board because – and this has nothing to do with the design team at Ferrari because they worked very, very closely with them – this is a different animal, and they think it needed a different approach and a different way of thinking.”
The Luce’s design is a result of this collaboration, with LoveFrom bringing a unique perspective to the project. As they worked together, they considered how the design could impact the market, similar to how US wagon sales could be influenced by new designs.
Leave a Reply