The controversial Ferrari Luce has made its public debut at the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in northwestern France – and maybe it's not as bad as we thought...

The car has been on display on the Italian carmaker’s promotional stand as the storied outfit hopes to repeat last year’s 24-hour race success at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Another victory would be lucky for some – the 13th overall Le Mans victory for Maranello.

The pricey £475k four-door electric limo might seem a little out of place amid all of the petrol powered race cars and high octane action, but Ferrari is probably expecting some of the event’s glamour to rub off on its new car that has received a rough reception since it was launched at the end of May. 

Ferrari’s first EV is the result of a collaboration with former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, and has been criticised for its lack of car design sophistication – mainly by car designers who’d probably like a go at designing a Ferrari, though the gut reaction of most has been instant disgust. 

We admit we too were very sceptical when we first saw the official images released by Ferrari, but judging by the more candid shots from Electrifying’s James Batchelor, who is at the race, the design is more interesting than perhaps it initially got credit for. 

The front end certainly has a bit more drama and character from the right angle, and the lines along the side of the car bring to mind the 1970s GTC/4 if you’re drunk enough. Likewise the interior could be a modern rendering of the 1980 Pinin Concept by Pininfarina, a proposal from the Italian design house for a four-door Ferrari saloon to rival some of the great luxury cars on sale at the time. 

Or perhaps we’re just not getting enough sleep. At any rate, if you're in the market for a mega-expensive EV but don't fancy the Luce, check out our favourite alternatives to spend your cash on. 

Does look a bit gloomy in the back of the Luce – the right place then for someone who just spent £475k on a car everyone says they hate