A 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello once owned by Michael Jordan sold for $2.7 million. Its rare specification, low mileage and history made it a standout auction lot.
A 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello that belonged to Michael Jordan sold this week for $2.7 million, or about 13.4 million Brazilian reais at the estimate cited by CNN Brasil. Road & Track reported that the car was offered by auction house Joopiter; Jordan bought it new and owned it until 2002.
After it was sold, the car spent about 20 years in a private California collection. Curated, a company specializing in classic cars, found the vehicle and matched its chassis number to the description of Jordan’s Ferrari. It still carried its original license plate, MJ-5: the basketball player’s initials and the number of NBA titles he had won at the time.
Ferrari built 3,083 examples of the 550 Maranello. Jordan’s car has several bespoke options, about 10,000 kilometers on the odometer, a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V12 producing nearly 500 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission. The model’s stated top speed is 320 kilometers per hour.
The car’s connection to Jordan also reached sportswear: the Ferrari 550 Maranello inspired the Air Jordan 14, designed by Jordan with Nike. He wore the shoes in his final game for the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz, when the team secured his sixth and last NBA championship.