That $2.7 Million Jordan Ferrari Sale? The Car Was Hiding For 24 Years

Michael Jordan’s custom Ferrari 550 Maranello sold for a staggering $2.7 million at Joopiter Auctions on Wednesday. This ride was hiding for 24 years, rediscovered this year after being out of the public eye for more than two decades. Talk about a comeback! This isn’t just some old car, it’s a genuine piece of sports history, and its reappearance has everyone buzzing.

The Moment It Became Legendary

We’re talking about a car that was with MJ at one of his most iconic moments. Jordan picked up this beast in May of 1997. And get this: he was seen leaving the United Center in it mere hours after clinching his fifth NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls. Imagine that scene. According to Joopiter, Jordan had a cigar in his hand and the Larry O’Brien Trophy right there in the car with him as he pulled away from the arena. That’s not just a drive, that’s a victory parade in itself, captured in an instant, and now that piece of history has resurfaced.

Customized for Greatness

This isn’t your average Ferrari 550 Maranello, even though only 3,083 of them were made between 1996 and 2001. Joopiter notes it packs a “Tipo F133A 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V12, producing 485 horsepower through a six-speed gated manual, with a top speed of 199 mph.” Pretty wild, right? But what really makes it MJ’s ride? It was custom-made with special driver seat tracks just to fit his 6’6″ frame. Talk about bespoke luxury for a legend! And if that wasn’t enough, Nike designer Tinker Hatfield actually used this very vehicle as the inspiration for the Air Jordan 14 sneaker. MJ sold the car in 2002 through Lake Forest Sportscars in Illinois, and then it literally vanished until this year. For 24 years, this piece of automotive and sports history was off the radar.

This sale isn’t only about a car, it’s about a piece of sports history. The value of artifacts tied to legends like MJ keeps climbing, showing us these items are more than collectibles. They’re tangible links to moments we’ll never forget. What other lost treasures are out there, waiting to resurface and blow us away?

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Bleacher Report.