For passionate enthusiasts, Ferraris are not merely cars but works of art. The emotion stirred by their classic red curves is, they say, akin to standing before a Michelangelo sculpture, while the sound of the engine revving evokes a sensation comparable to listening to the music of Giuseppe Verdi or Giacomo Puccini.
Which is why the sight of the Italian carmaker’s first fully electric car, the Luce EV, unveiled this week, left many fans aghast. “I don’t dispute the fact that it’s electric – that’s a generational step that needs to be taken,” said Fabio Barone, the president of the Italy-based Passione Rossa Ferrari owners’ club.
“But the design was a total shock – it has shaken the very foundations of our legendary Ferrari.” Barone, who bought his first Ferrari at 27 and has since notched up several world records for speed, is far from alone in his reaction. Across the manufacturer’s devoted fanbase, the five-seater blue Luce, which in Italian means light, drew widespread scepticism.
Internet commenters said it resembled a Nissan or even the Fiat Multipla, a 1990s people carrier crowned the world’s ugliest car. The more disparaging memes compared it to a vacuum cleaner or a rubber clog.
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and transport minister, wondered what the carmaker’s founder, Enzo Ferrari, would make of it, while the former Ferrari CEO Luca Cordero di Montezemolo went one further by suggesting the Luce ought to be stripped of its prancing horse logo. “I agree with him – the horse needs to be removed,” said Barone, adding that his main gripe was its lack of sound.