Having informed a silhouette from an iconic sneaker label, accrued provenance of the highest caliber, and survived a lost-and-found legend, this Ferrari 550 Maranello is damn near deserving of its own documentary. Its story starts in May of 1997, when it was purchased by Michael Jordan from Foreign Cars Italia of Greensboro, North Carolina. Weeks later, MJ secured his fifth NBA championship in Chicago’s United Center, and the superstar Bull exited the premises in the Rosso Barchetta-painted beauty, complete with an Illinois vanity plate reading “MJ 5.”
Almost exactly a year later, Jordan and the Bulls were embroiled in a championship defense against the Utah Jazz. As he stepped on the enemy court in Salt Lake City, he sported the Air Jordan XIV—a silhouette that he and legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield had imbued with aesthetic nods to the 550 Maranello, including a cabin-referencing quilted leather upper, a tire-tread heel, sculpted air vents, and a Jumpman logo presented on a Ferrari-inspired shield. These very shoes propelled Jordan upward as he sank a title-winning jumper with 5.2 seconds remaining, delivering his final points as a Bull and concluding the most legendary story in sports history.
Later that year, the 550 Maranello made history of its own in East Liberty, Ohio, at an oval test track. With 478 horsepower from the Tipo F133A 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12, the car set three world records by covering a distance of 100 miles at an average speed of 190.2 mph, 100 kilometers at an average speed of 188.9 mph, and drive at an average speed of 184 mph for an hour, refuel time included. This performance, combined with an immaculately penned design and luxurious, tan leather-clad interior, helped the 550 Maranello cement itself as arguably the greatest grand tourer of the 1990s.
On December 4, 2002, Jordan sold the Maranello through Lake Forest Sportscars in Illinois, at which point it seemingly disappeared for a quarter-century, inspiring inquiries and speculation about the celebrity-owned Ferrari’s whereabouts. After a decade-long effort led by John Temerian, co-founder of classic supercar procurer Curated, a partial chassis number was discovered an old online forum, allowing the team to reconstruct the full VIN. Working from Ferrari’s historical dealer records—which still listed chassis 108712 with its “MJ 5” plate under Jordan’s name—the Curated research team traced the Ferrari to a long-term California owner who had never publicly offered the car for sale. Temerian bought it sight unseen earlier this year.
Now Jordan’s long-lost 550 Maranello is set to be auctioned on Joopiter, Pharrell Williams’ digital commerce and content platform, where it’s expected to sell for between $700,000 and $1.3 million when bidding opens on September 15.