Who Is Herbert Wertheim? The 87-Year-Old Billionaire Who Bought The $40M Ferrari Luce “Chassis 0”

Who is Herbert Wertheim? The 87-Year-Old billionaire who bought the $40 Million Ferrari Luce “Chassis 0”. 

Herbert is an American optometrist, inventor, billionaire businessman, a philanthropist and a Ferrari enthusiast.

He also paid a staggering $26 million to own a Ferrari Daytona SP3 ‘599+1’ at the exact same event in August of last year.

All proceeds from the sales—totalling $66 million—support the Ferrari Foundation’s global educational initiatives.

Last weekend, a Ferrari enthusiast paid a whopping $40 million at the RM Sotheby’s auction during Monterey Car Week for the first production Ferrari Luce EV. This marks a record price for both a new production car and an electric vehicle (EV).

As expected, Autojosh, alongside other car enthusiasts, was yearning to know who paid such a record-breaking sum for a model that continues to divide traditional Ferrari purists amid ongoing debates surrounding its radical EV design, three months after its initial reveal.

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Who is the buyer

The secret buyer of this Ferrari Luce “Chassis 0” is non other than Herbert A. Wertheim, who also paid a staggering $26 million to own a one-of-a-kind, US-spec 2025 Ferrari Daytona SP3 with serial number ‘599+1’ at the exact same event in August of last year.

Herbert is an American optometrist, inventor, billionaire businessman, and philanthropist. Best known for developing ultraviolet light-absorbing dyes for plastic ophthalmic lenses during the late 1960s, he is the founder and president of Brain Power Incorporated.

Following the historic sale, the 87-year-old American billionaire and car enthusiast rose to the stage to take pictures with his new one-off acquisition. The Ferrari Luce “Chassis 0” will briefly fly back to Maranello to add Herbert’s customisations before its final delivery, scheduled for sometime later in 2027.

In both purchases at the RM Sotheby’s motoring auction, the record-breaking hammer prices—totalling $66 million—serve a philanthropic purpose. All proceeds from the sales will directly support the Ferrari Foundation’s global educational initiatives.

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