TL;DR: When Ferrari dropped its first-ever EV, the Luce, the internet threw a collective tantrum. Even former Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo lost his mind over it. But now, the same influencers who called it “an Apple mouse on wheels” are starting to change their tune. Here’s why we were right all along: the Luce is a masterpiece of modern industrial design, and everyone else just panicked.
The Initial Outrage: “Not a Real Ferrari”
When Ferrari pulled the wraps off the Luce a couple of months ago, the internet did what the internet does best: it melted down.
Because it was an EV, and because it was designed in collaboration with Jony Ive and Marc Newson’s creative collective LoveFrom, purists felt personally attacked. Where was the screaming V12? Where was the raw, menacing, slightly terrifying stance of a front-engine Italian beast?
Instead, they got a fluid, futuristic, five-seat machine with clean volumes.
- The “Apple Mouse” Insult: Keyboards clattered across Reddit calling it “a high-priced Prius” or an “Apple mouse on wheels”.
- The “Hearth and Hearse” Crowd: Car YouTubers—the same guys who will swear a literal hearse has “immense collector value”—were suddenly acting like arbiters of high Italian art, claiming the car was totally devoid of soul.
The Old Guard’s Meltdown
The negativity didn’t just stay in the YouTube comment section. It trickled down from the very top of the old-school automotive hierarchy.
Luca di Montezemolo, the former president of Ferrari (and an undeniable legend who helped save the company in the ’90s), decided to go completely nuclear. He told the Italian press:
“If I were to say what I really think, I’d be doing Ferrari a disservice. We risk destroying a legend, and I’m truly sorry about that. I hope they at least remove the Prancing Horse from that car.”
He even added a petty swipe, saying it’s “certainly a car that at least the Chinese won’t copy from us.”
But let’s be real for a second. If you know anything about Italian culture, you know they love to complain when you break tradition. God forbid you snap your spaghetti in half or buy pasta out of a box—a young Italian will yell at you like you committed a felony. Now imagine a 78-year-old Italian icon looking at an electric Ferrari. Of course he’s going to complain. Using his outrage to justify why the Luce is “bad” is just lazy.
Why the Design is Actually Brilliant
Now that the initial shock has worn off, something funny is happening. The same creators and tech reviewers who bashed the car are quietly making “it’s growing on me” videos.
They are starting to see the Luce for what it actually is: a stunning piece of modern industrial design.
| Feature | The Spec | Why It Works |
| Powertrain | 4 Electric Motors (1,050 hp) | Sub-2.5 second 0-100 km/h times with surgical torque vectoring. |
| Cab-Forward Layout | Shortened front hood | Puts the driver incredibly close to the front axle for unparalleled cornering precision. |
| Tactile Cabin | Analog mechanical switches & dials | LoveFrom skipped the massive, cheap-looking iPads for milled aluminum and weighted glass. |
Rather than trying to pretend an EV has a gas engine by slapping a fake grille and fake exhaust notes on it, Ive and Newson designed a car around the unique packaging of an electric battery. The result is sleek, elegant, and unapologetic.
It’s not trying to be a 250 GTO. It’s trying to be the future. And as the hype cycle cools down, the world is finally realizing we were right from day one.
