The buyer behind the staggering $40 million winning bid for the first-ever Ferrari Luce has been revealed as Dr. Herbert “Herbie” Wertheim, a billionaire businessman, inventor and philanthropist.
Wertheim acquired Chassis 0 of the Luce EV at auction during Monterey Car Week, paying $40 million. The final figure was an extraordinary 36 times the car’s original auction estimate. It also came exactly one year after Wertheim made headlines at the same event by purchasing a Tailor Made Ferrari Daytona SP3 for $26 million.
However, these spectacular purchases are about more than collecting rare Ferraris. Every dollar raised from these specific auctions goes directly to The Ferrari Foundation, supporting educational initiatives.
Born in Philadelphia in 1939 to working-class parents, Wertheim moved with his family to Florida, where they lived above a bakery. His career changed in 1969 when he became the first to discover that ultraviolet light causes cataracts and damages human eyes. He subsequently developed the first UV-absorbing dye for plastic eyeglass lenses and founded Brain Power Inc., which became the world’s largest manufacturer of optical tints and ophthalmic chemicals. He holds more than 100 patents and copyrights.
Source: @supercarsfor.sale
