Ferrari Luce Breaks Cover As Maranello's First EV

Review: 2026 Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider

As forced induction and electrification continue democratize horsepower throughout the automotive industry, luxury automakers have faced a growing challenge: how do you make an exotic machine feel special at a point in time when even mainstream vehicles offer jaw-dropping performance? Ferrari, to its notable credit, has answered this question in part by staying at the forefront of the latest technologies, as evidenced by cutting-edge entries like the SF90 and F80 – both of which utilize performance-tuned hybrid systems in conjunction with turbocharged engines and sophisticated all-wheel-drive setups. While those two mid-engine monsters offer truly stunning capability, there’s also a growing contingent of performance enthusiasts who yearn for the simpler days of long, curvaceous hoods, rear-wheel drive propulsion, and the banshee wail of a high-winding 12-cylinder engine at full chat. And that’s precisely where the 12Cilindri Spider stakes its claim. As the successor to the 812 Superfast, the 12Cilindri leverages clever active aerodynamics, advanced traction and stability control systems, and a trick four-wheel-steering system that manages the movement of each wheel independently to enhance cornering response, but it’s ultimately an homage to Ferrari’s storied V12 heritage. Aside from the no-nonsense name (which literally translates to “12 Cylinders”), the 12Cilindri’s exterior styling clearly takes some inspiration from the 365 GTB Daytona of the late 1960s. And rather than saddling its latest GT flagship with the complexities of bulky batteries, electric motors, turbochargers, and AWD, Ferrari has instead chosen to focus on the fundamentals that have made GT cars like the Daytona such enduring icons: elegant design, a finely honed chassis, and a truly spectacular naturally aspirated powerplant. It’s a 6.5-liter dry-sump V12 that produces 819 horsepower and revs to a searing 9,500 rpm. Ferrari only cites a deliberately ambiguous dry weight of 3,571 pounds for the Spider, which carries about 130 pounds of extra mass as compared to its coupe counterpart. But at a time when an alarming number of new performance cars are saddled with curb weights that start with a five, the potentially sub-4,000-pound 12Cilindri Spider feels lithe and unencumbered by countermeasures expressly designed to combat the laws of physics. Although its primary mission is to enable drivers to carve their way through picturesque locales at a lively pace without compromising comfort, the 12Cilindri has a notably more sports-car-like persona than the Aston Martin Vanquish – its closest rival – thanks in part to the Ferrari’s incredibly rigid chassis, dual-clutch gearbox, and earnestly performance-tuned suspension. While the eight-speed DCT occasionally takes a beat to get things going from a dead stop, and the hunkered-down stance makes the nose-lift feature a necessity when negotiating steep driveway aprons, the 12Cilindri Spider still manages to retain an admirable level of civility around town and out on the highway. Outfitted with a killer Burmester audio system, a retractable hard top that opens in just 14 seconds at speeds up to 28 mph, and sport seats that feature heating, ventilation, and adjustable bolstering as well as multiple massage routines, the 12Cilindri Spider can be a posh, effortless cruiser when called upon to do so. The only glaring deficiency in this regard comes from Ferrari’s HMI implementation, which utilizes frustratingly difficult-to-use capacitive surfaces on the steering wheel and the instrument panel to control features like adaptive cruise control and mirror adjustments, along with the various functions that are accessed via the 15.6-inch digital gauge cluster. While the infotainment system looks sharp and is quick to respond to inputs, Apple CarPlay conked out on more than one occasion during the few days I spent with the car. Nitpicks aside, one feature that definitely works as intended is the steering-wheel-mounted Manettino switch, which allows you to toggle between the available drive modes. Sport is the default, a naming decision which helps set ride quality expectations, but you can also press this switch like a button to enable Bumpy Road mode, which relaxes the adaptive dampers beyond their standard tuning for more compliance on rough pavement. Out in the canyons, I found myself more interested in the additional drama provided by Race mode. In contrast to convention, Ferrari chose to leave the steering, throttle mapping, and brake-by-wire settings the same in the Sport and Race modes for the sake of predictable response, instead heightening the driving experience when set to the latter by easing the electronic assists, ramping up the programming for the gearbox and the electronically-controlled rear differential, and – importantly – opening up the exhaust valves. While it’s still a little bit quieter than I’d prefer, even with the top down, the noise that this V12 makes while working its way past 9k is a soundtrack to your sweetest dreams. It took some conscious effort to stop myself from short-shifting the first few times I laid into the throttle with the gearbox in manual mode. The revs just seem to build endlessly. It’s also a decidedly different experience than what’s offered in the latest Vanquish. The Aston also features a 12-cylinder atomic bomb under its hood, but the crucial difference here is that the Vanquish’s lofty power figures are owed in part to turbocharging. This gives the Aston a substantial advantage in peak torque (738 lb-ft versus the 12Cilindri’s 500 pound-feet), but it also relegates its redline to a relatively pedestrian 7,000 rpm. The upshot is that not only does the 12Cilindri deliver a much more emotive soundtrack when you drop the hammer, it also feels significantly more buttoned down when called upon to hustle through a technical section of road. Its quick steering rack takes a moment to acclimate to, but it soon becomes apparent that the chassis, brakes, and powertrain have no problem keeping pace. <- Gallery -> The Manettino switch also has dedicated settings for partially or completely disabling the traction and stability control systems if you’re feeling brave (or prefer to do your grand touring sideways), but the intervention is so seamless when these systems are enabled that they rarely distract from the proceedings. While the Vanquish twists and shimmies as the powertrain and the electronics have a debate over the fastest way forward, the 12Cilindri just feels more planted and easier to trust when really hauling the mail. In an era when quadruple-digit horsepower has somehow become readily achievable for production cars, the Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider is a reminder that character and emotion aren’t attributes that can be easily quantified on a spec sheet. There will be a time – probably in the foreseeable future – where folks will gaze into the open clamshell hood of a 12Cilindri and say, "Man, they don’t make ’em like this anymore." Like it or not, the days of the unassisted Ferrari V12 are almost certainly coming to a close. With that in mind, well-heeled traditionalists would be wise to savor the moment. View All Ferrari 12Cilindris For Sale Images: Bradley Iger

Ferrari Luce Breaks Cover As Maranello's First EV

With a radical new design built around a clean-sheet electric platform, Ferrari’s 1,000+ hp, five-seat electric GT with a 329-mile range opens a new chapter for the storied Italian marque

by Khris Bharath – May 25, 2026

Ferrari was founded in 1947 as a company built around racing, with Enzo Ferrari producing road cars largely because motorsport demanded it. On May 25 of that same founding year, driver Franco Cortese guided the Ferrari 125 S to the marque’s first-ever race victory at the Gran Premio di Roma, marking the beginning of what would become one of the most celebrated names in automotive history.

Nearly eight decades later, Ferrari returned to Rome on the very same date to unveil the Ferrari Luce, its first fully electric production car and arguably the most consequential new model to emerge from Maranello in decades.

The Luce, which translates to “Light” in Italian, is the result of a creative partnership first announced in September 2021 between Ferrari and LoveFrom, the design collective led by former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson. Ive, whose work helped define products such as the original Apple iMac G3, the iPhone, and the iPad, played a central role in shaping the Luce’s clean-sheet design philosophy, tactile interior controls, and its unconventional approach to what an electric Ferrari should look and feel like.

"With Ferrari Luce, we are once again redefining the limits of what is possible. Today, we are not simply unveiling a new car, we are inaugurating a chapter that turns our vision into reality, strengthening Ferrari’s tradition of anticipating and shaping the future. Such a leap forward in product innovation could only have been achieved through process innovation; this is why we chose to embark on new collaborations, such as the one with LoveFrom for the design. And, as always, our research and engineering excellence have been placed at the service of driving emotions, without compromise. Rome, the symbolic location of our first victory, becomes the starting point for a Ferrari that lights up the future and opens new horizons". - John Elkann, President of Ferrari.

This reveal completes a three-stage rollout that began last year. The launch, held at Rome’s Vela di Calatrava, follows nearly five years of development and months of carefully staged previews that included teasers and continued with the interior debut in San Francisco in February.

For Ferrari, the Luce represents more than a powertrain shift. It is an attempt to redefine what a Ferrari can be without abandoning the brand’s core identity around emotion, driver engagement, and performance. Now the final product has arrived with figures that place it directly among the world’s fastest EVs.

The technical base was first previewed last October at Capital Markets Day, where Ferrari first broke cover on the platform it initially called the Elettrica. In production guise, the Luce produces 1,050 cv or 1,036 horsepower, through four independently controlled electric motors, one at each wheel, while there’s also the ability to make it rear-wheel drive only. Ferrari claims a 0-62 mph time of 2.5 seconds and a top speed exceeding 193 mph. A structural 122 kWh battery pack delivers more than 329 miles of range under European testing, and the 800V platform supports 350 kW charging.

Ferrari says the platform was developed entirely in-house at Maranello, including the motors, battery system, inverters, and software architecture. The company confirmed the project generated more than 60 patents, with technologies influenced by programs such as the Le Mans-winning 499P endurance racer and Ferrari’s Hypersail initiative.

Despite weighing 4,982 pounds, Ferrari says its low-mounted battery and torque vectoring system allow the car to behave like something nearly 880 pounds lighter during rapid directional changes. A new centralized Vehicle Control Unit updates chassis and powertrain responses 200 times per second, coordinating steering, suspension, regenerative braking, and torque delivery simultaneously.

The design itself looks unlike any Ferrari currently on sale and a complete departure from the prototypes that were seen in and around Maranello with a breadvan-style cladding, prior to launch. The car's silhouette is dominated by a sweeping glass canopy extending beneath the beltline, paired with a floating aerodynamic front end that incorporates elements reminiscent of Ferrari's tradiitonal S-duct and rear wings that channel airflow around the body.

Launch colors include Azzurro la Plata, Giallo Luce, Rosso Dino, Bianco Artico, and Rosso Fiammante. The rear makes Ferrari's most deliberate heritage statement: circular halo tail lights that Ferrari describes as a direct reference to the 360 Modena and 458 Italia. Wheels measure 23 inches at the front and 24 at the rear, the largest staggered diameter ever fitted to a series-production Ferrari. The optional turbine-style aerodynamic wheels, inspired by jet engine turbines according to Ferrari, help reduce drag by roughly five percent.

The proportions also mark a major departure for the company. Ferrari says the Luce achieves the lowest drag coefficient ever recorded for one of its road cars after more than 6,000 CFD simulations and hundreds of hours of wind tunnel testing. While the Ferrari Purosangue introduced Ferrari’s first four-door series-production model, the Luce became the first Ferrari ever engineered with five seats. The packaging advantages of the EV platform also allowed Ferrari to create nearly 21.2 of rear cargo space, more than the Purosangue, reinforcing the Luce’s positioning as a true long-distance grand tourer.

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Inside, Ferrari leaned heavily into tactile controls rather than chasing the screen-heavy layouts dominating the EV segment. Ferrari Centro Stile, led by Flavio Manzoni, worked alongside LoveFrom for years, studying Ferrari heritage and Formula 1 controls to push back against the industry's drift toward screen-first cabins, arriving at a retro-futuristic aesthetic that holds analog and digital in deliberate balance.

The three-spoke steering wheel uses machined aluminum switches, magnetic paddles, and physical controls inspired by classic Ferraris and Formula 1 cars. The Luce also reimagines Ferrari’s iconic Manettino and paddle shifters for the electric era, allowing drivers to actively control torque delivery and regenerative braking through tactile steering wheel inputs. OLED displays developed with Samsung Display sit alongside analog-inspired instrumentation and a movable center control panel.

One of the project’s most unusual elements involves sound, which, rather than generating artificial engine audio, Ferrari developed a patented system that amplifies vibrations created naturally by the electric driveline itself. Sensors mounted to the axle housing capture real mechanical frequencies, which are then processed and projected inside and outside the car depending on drive mode and driver input.

"We are convinced that a company demonstrates its leadership when it has the courage to dare and to take on the challenge of new technologies. Ferrari Luce was born precisely from this challenge, offering our unprecedented vision of electrification. Never before have we offered our clients such freedom of choice. In line with our belief in technological neutrality, we are the first in the world to combine fully electric, hybrid and combustion engine architectures for sports cars. We have not limited ourselves to innovation in powertrains; with Luce, we have launched a whole new segment in our range. This model is the result of more than 60 of our new patents and lies at the heart of an ecosystem of collaborations with outstanding technology partners. We have created a car that combines unique driving emotions with extraordinary performance, driving pleasure, and comfort for the Ferraristi of today and tomorrow". - Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari.

Ferrari has also moved quickly to reassure longtime enthusiasts that the Luce does not signal the end of the brand’s combustion era. Company targets still call for gas-powered models to account for 40% of production by 2030, alongside 40% hybrids and 20% fully electric vehicles, while Ferrari has made clear that ownership of a Luce will not be tied to future access to limited-production cars. For now, the V12 remains very much part of Maranello’s future plans.

European pricing is expected to begin at around €550,000, or roughly $640,000 before options and local taxes, according to Reuters, placing the Luce near the very top of Ferrari’s regular production lineup. Deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, while Ferrari has already launched the online configurator for the Luce through its official channels.

For a company built on V12 engines, gated manuals, Formula 1 heritage, and decades of combustion-driven emotion, the Luce may prove to be Ferrari’s boldest production car since the Ferrari F40 reshaped the supercar formula nearly four decades ago.

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Images: Ferrari

Khris Bharath