- Sir Jony Ive’s LoveFrom company helped design the Luce
- But Ferrari’s EV has caused plenty of controversy
- Venuum thinks a widebody kit could make Luce more desirable
The phrase “broke the internet” is terribly overused these days, but the reveal of Ferrari’s debut EV had pretty much every corner of the web locked in ferocious debate.
The car, which features both an interior and exterior penned by iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive’s LoveFrom outfit, was met with a maelstrom of abuse online, with the Ferrari faithful panning its bulbous looks, laughing off the $640,000 price tag, and poking holes in the relatively measly 329-mile range.
Nissan’s North American social media accounts even pointed out that it looked a lot like the new Leaf (before hastily taking the posts down), while, more concerningly, Ferrari’s stock price took a major hit.
Now that the dust has settled, one aftermarket tuner based in the United Arab Emirates has taken the time to painstakingly render what it feels the Luce could look like after being fitted with an aggressive carbon splitter, a fixed rear wing, and an enormous diffuser.
All of these elements are often found on Ferrari’s high-performance track cars, and Venuum claims that “within just a few hours we created a much bolder and more radical vision for this Ferrari”.
The results certainly look more purposeful, but Venuum has also somehow made it look like a Nissan GT-R that has been tweaked in Need for Speed.
There’s no word on whether the tuning firm plans to eventually create a body kit for the Luce. At the same time, Ferrari has a fearsome reputation for coming down hard on customers who dare mod, tune, or mess with the Italian firm’s coveted designs, so maybe it’s best left as a bit of fun.
Analysis: the design is off
Venuum isn’t the only outfit to start tweaking Ferrari’s divisive designs, as many visual artists have taken to social media to show off their interpretations, often resulting in a much lower, longer, and more aggressive Luce.
But therein lies the problem with Ferrari’s first foray into pure EV, as the Luce’s dimensions are simply too dumpy, too aerodynamically informed and, dare we say it, too homogenous ever to be held in the same regard as something like the 458, the F50 and even the Purosangue, which at least wears its SUV styling with pride.
Ferrari’s current boss, Benedetto Vigna, has defended the decision to opt for something wildly different, telling Reuters that there is “strong interest, including from new clients.”
“We’ve already received bank transfers, clients who were there want it,” he added.
However, the Italian marque’s outgoing CEO said that the EV risked “destroying a legend” during one particularly fiery outburst, adding that the company could “at least remove the prancing horse”. Ouch.
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