Michael Jordan's 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello sold for $2,700,000 when bidding closed on September 30. It's the most anyone has paid for a 550 Maranello at a public sale.
Auction platform Joopiter had estimated the car at $700,000 to $1.3 million. The final price more than doubled the high end, and Joopiter says it's more than four times the model's previous auction record, though it hasn't said what that record was. Motor1 reports the sale drew 43 bids over two weeks.
It was Joopiter's first car auction, run with Curated, a dealer that specializes in collector supercars. We covered the car's rediscovery and the auction announcement in September.
"This isn't just a world-record price for a Ferrari 550 Maranello," said Curated CEO John Temerian. "It's a testament to the passion surrounding Michael Jordan, to Ferrari collectors, and to a new generation chasing the icons of the 1990s and early 2000s."
The car
Jordan took delivery of chassis 108712 in May 1997 through Foreign Cars Italia in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to Joopiter. It's Rosso Barchetta over tan leather, with chrome Speedline wheels and an Illinois vanity plate that reads MJ 5.
Jordan drove it to Bulls home games, practices, and public appearances, putting about 6,400 miles on it. Because he stood 6-foot-6, Ferrari is understood to have adjusted the seat rails and padding so he would fit, Joopiter says. He sold it on December 4, 2002, through Lake Forest Sportscars in Illinois, and it then went unseen for more than two decades.
The car also shaped a sneaker. Nike designer Tinker Hatfield used it as a main source for the Air Jordan XIV, borrowing quilted leather from the cabin, side vents from the bodywork, a tire-inspired heel, and a Jumpman badge set inside a Ferrari-style shield. Jordan wore the XIV when he hit the title-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
Temerian spent about a decade looking for the car. A partial chassis number on an old online forum led Curated to the full VIN, and Ferrari dealer records traced it to a long-term owner in California. Temerian bought it sight unseen, and it returned to Chicago on May 29, 2026, 29 years to the day after Jordan's delivery.
Underneath the history is a front-engined grand tourer. Ferrari launched the 550 Maranello in 1996 as the successor to the F512M. Its 5.5-liter V12 makes 485 hp at 7,000 rpm through a six-speed manual, and Ferrari quotes a top speed of 320 km/h, about 199 mph.
Put the 550 against other front-engined Ferraris on WhipJury.
Sources:
The sale price, bids, and Temerian quote: Motor1
The estimate: Joopiter and AutoGuide
The car's history, the Air Jordan XIV, and the search for the car: Joopiter and Hypebeast
550 Maranello specs: Ferrari
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Ethan Llamas (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Freebourg (CC BY-SA 3.0). Neither shows Jordan's car.
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Jeffrey Wiley has spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about what makes a car look right. He writes about automotive design, car culture, and the opinions people have strong feelings about. He lives in north Georgia.
