American billionaire pays $40 million for first Ferrari electric supercar

American billionaire and inventor Herbert "Herb" Wirth became the first owner of Ferrari's new electric supercar, the Ferrari Luce, purchasing it for $40 million at a charity auction held during Monterey Car Week in California. The winning bid was roughly 36 times the car's estimated value, setting an auction record for a new vehicle, according to CNBC. The founder of Brain Power, a company operating in the eyewear lens sector, Wirth commissioned the car for himself. Its design was led by Jony Ive, Apple's former creative director, together with designer Marc Newson. Ferrari has marketed the model as a vehicle combining high performance, an engaging driving experience and a spacious interior, with an estimated price of about 550,000 euros. Wirth had previously paid $26 million at the same event last year for a custom Ferrari Daytona SP3. The full proceeds of the auction will go to educational projects run by the Ferrari Foundation. According to Forbes, Wirth has an estimated net worth of about $4.9 billion, drawn from eyewear manufacturing, investments and philanthropy.