On May 25, 2026, Ferrari unveiled its first all-electric sports car in Rome: the Ferrari Luce. Revealed at the Vela di Calatrava, exactly 79 years after the brand's first official race victory in that very city, the Luce marks Ferrari's entry into a new segment: four doors, five seats, four electric motors, and a range of over 330 miles. For all those who love Italy, this is more than an automotive debut. Ferrari is part of this country's cultural heritage, and Maranello, the birthplace of the brand in Emilia-Romagna, ranks among the most rewarding destinations, the region has to offer.
Maranello and the DNA of a Nation
Maranello is a small town in Emilia-Romagna, less than 12 miles south of Modena. First-time visitors may be surprised by its modesty. Narrow streets, brick buildings, the scent of Aceto Balsamico in the air. And right in the middle of it all: the factory. Ever since Enzo Ferrari built his first racing car here in 1947, the Ferrari 125 S, with which driver Franco Cortese won the Gran Premio di Roma on that very same date, May 25, this place has been the heart of one of the world's most recognized brands.
The Museo Ferrari in Maranello is a must for anyone traveling to Italy. Here stand the legends: the F40, the Testarossa, the 250 GTO. Cars that are not merely feats of engineering but cultural artifacts. Sculptures of steel and aluminum that speak to the soul of this country: the drive to push boundaries. The conviction that form and function are not opposites but kindred spirits.
The Ferrari Luce: What Makes It Special
The name says it all. Luce — light. Light as direction. Light as a metaphor for a new beginning. With the Luce, Ferrari has unveiled its first all-electric sports car, and anyone who thinks this is simply a concession to the spirit of the times is underestimating what has happened in Maranello. The Luce is not an electric carthat Ferrari builds because it has to. It is a Ferrari that happens to be electric. The distinction is everything.
Four electric motors, one per wheel, a combined output of 1,050 horsepower, 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, and a range of over 330 miles. These are impressive numbers. But it is the how that truly fascinates.
Ferrari reimagined the Luce from the ground up. For the first time in the company's history, it features four doors and five seats, a vehicle that combines family practicality and driving dynamics in a way that once seemed unthinkable. The all-electric drivetrain architecture allows the center of gravity to be positioned lower than would ever have been possible with a combustion engine. The result: a car that, despite weighing 4,982 pounds, feels as though it is nearly 900 pounds lighter.
Design from Another World, and Yet Entirely Italian
For the design, Ferrari took an unconventional approach. Rather than commissioning its in-house design studio under Ferrari's chief designer Flavio Manzoni exclusively, the company brought in LoveFrom, the creative collective founded by Sir Jony Ive, the man behind the iPhone and the iMac, and Marc Newson, one of the most influential industrial designers of our time.
The result is a design language unlike anything seen before, yet one deeply rooted in Ferrari tradition. The defining element is the greenhouse: an almost shell-like, uninterrupted glass surface that extends below the beltline. No unnecessary creases, no visual noise. In front and behind it, two freestanding aerodynamic wings that appear to float in mid-air.
The paint colors for the launch are named Azzurro la Plata, Giallo Luce, Rosso Dino, Bianco Artico, and Rosso Fiammante. The special yellow is a tribute to the historic yellow of the Ferrari logo, the same yellow found on the wheel hubs and steering wheel. Even in this small gesture, the entire philosophy is present: tradition and future as a unified whole.
The interior is a world unto itself. Mechanical buttons, rotary controls, and switches machined from recycled aluminum, tactile and precise as a Swiss timepiece, are combined with digital displays developed exclusively by Samsung. The key to the Luce is crafted from Gorilla Glass and displays its status via an E Ink screen, a world first. When inserted into the dashboard, a wash of Ferrari yellow flows across the entire control surface. Ferrari's way of saying: welcome.
The sound experience: an electric car that breathes
One of the greatest misconceptions about electric vehicles is that they are silent. The Ferrari Luce is the strongest argument against that. Ferrari spent five years developing a sound that is authentic, neither synthetic nor contrived.
An acceleration sensor in the rear axle captures the vibrations of rotating components in real time, filtered, amplified, and processed on the fly, much like an electric guitar. The result is a sound that comes from within the car itself, one that responds to driving style, builds as the throttle opens, and fades when desired. Ferrari calls it authentic and functional: a sound as a language between driver and machine.
The Luce's audio system features 21 speakers and 3,000 watts of amplifier power. Five audio presets, including "Studio," "Concerto," and "Opera," reflect the cultural ambition of a brand that never merely builds cars, but always crafts a piece of Italianità.
Ferrari and life in Italy: more than a status symbol
Those who live in Italy encounter Ferrari differently than those in Germany. Here, Ferrari is not about showing off. Here, Ferrari is heritage. In the Emilia-Romagna region, where Maranello is located, Ferrari is part of the collective identity, much like the Bolognese, the porticoes of Bologna, or the opera at the Teatro Regio in Parma.
The Motor Valley, as the region is now officially known, is the global center of high-performance vehicle manufacturing: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Ducati, Pagani. All here, all within an hour's drive of one another. Driving from Modena to Maranello means passing through a landscapewhere the spirit of craftsmanship is almost tangible, where engineers and designers speak the same language as chefs and winemakers: the language of perfection in the details.
The Museo Ferrari in Maranello, the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari in Modena, and the Museo Ferrari in Maranello itself are places of pilgrimage, but they are also living destinations. Special exhibitions take place regularly, and the connection between racing history and the present becomes tangible in a way no book can replicate. For those who have moved to Italy, a visit to the Motor Valley almost a must-do. Not because one needs to be a car enthusiast, but because it is here that one comes to understand how this country thinks. How the drive to create the most beautiful and the best is deeply embedded in the DNA of the people here.
The unveiling in Rome: history repeats itself
Ferrari deliberately chose Rome as the venue for the Luce's unveiling. On May 25, 1947, Franco Cortese won the first official race of a Ferrari vehicle in that very city. Exactly 79 years later, Ferrari returns to Rome. The venue, the Vela di Calatrava, the sports palace designed by architect Santiago Calatrava on the outskirts of Rome, is itself a manifesto: a building that, with its steel structure unites elegance and boldness, like a Ferrari made of concrete and glass. The fact that John Elkann, President of Ferrari, and CEO Benedetto Vigna spoke here was no coincidence. The message was unmistakable: what began in Rome in 1947 lives on here.
Technical curiosity: what is behind the numbers?
For those who want to dive deeper: the Ferrari Luce rides on a completely new platform. The four electric motors are derived from the in-house F80 development but were further refined for the Luce. More than 120,000 hours of research and development, over 250 motors tested on the test bench, nine patents for the drivetrain unit alone. The 122-kWh battery was developed and manufactured entirely in Maranello and can be recharged by 70 kWh in 20 minutes when a compatible 350-kW charging station is available .
The car features active suspension, four-wheel steering, and a novel torque management system that converts the typically abrupt power delivery of electric motors into a progressive, driver-modulated acceleration. All of this is packaged in a vehicle that is expected to achieve a range of over 530 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle, and that despite a top speed of 310 km/h. Sixty new patents. Over 6,000 CFD simulations for aerodynamics alone.
Visiting Maranello: what to know
For those traveling to Italy or already living there who want to explore the Motor Valley: Maranello is ideally situated between Modena and the Apennines. By car, it is about an hour and a half from Florence and just over two hours from Milan. The Museo Ferrari in Maranello (Via Dino Ferrari 43) is open daily except Tuesdays. The admission prices are around 18 euros for adults, with reduced rates for children. A combined ticket with the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari in Modena is highly recommended. There, inside the white corrugated-metal facade built over Enzo's birthplace, one comes to understand the person behind the brand.
In Maranello itself, a visit to the Restaurant Cavallino directly across from the factory is well worth it. An institution where Enzo himself once dined. For Ferrari enthusiasts: on the factory grounds Ferrari offers Driver Experiences, providing drives in a real Ferrari on real circuits.