Michael Jordan’s Ferrari that inspired the Air Jordan XIV is for auction

The Ferrari sports car of NBA legend Michael Jordan, which inspired the creation of the Air Jordan XIV, has been put up for sale, UNN writes, citing Autoblog.

Details

This 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello remained out of the public eye for more than two decades and is now being offered for sale with a seven-figure estimated value.

As with most cars sold at auction, provenance plays an important role in determining a lot's value. Recently, a 1996 McLaren F1 GTR (chassis 10R), formerly owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, became the most expensive McLaren ever sold at a public auction when its price reached $34.655 million. Of course, Mason's ownership was not the only factor influencing the final price, but this particular 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello may owe even more of its value to its previous owner.

The owner is NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who received the Ferrari in 1997, the same year he won his fifth championship with the Chicago Bulls. Although this Ferrari 550 Maranello (chassis 108712) was a star in the late 1990s, it remained out of the public eye for nearly a quarter of a century before recently resurfacing and being put up for sale on JOOPITER.

Chassis 108712 was among the cars featured in Michael Jordan's 2020 Netflix documentary "The Last Dance," alongside vehicles such as his Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet and Chevrolet C4 Corvette ZR-1. The Ferrari also inspired the creation of the Air Jordan XIV, which Jordan first wore on June 14, 1998, during the legendary Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. He was wearing those sneakers when he made the so-called "last shot," securing his sixth championship title.

After Jordan sold the car through Lake Forest Sportscars in Illinois in December 2002, its whereabouts became virtually unknown. CURATED co-founder John Temerian spent ten years searching for the Ferrari and even hired private detectives. Earlier this year, Temerian finally tracked the car down to a longtime owner in California, purchased it sight unseen, and brought it back to Chicago.

Under the hood is a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine producing 485 horsepower. Paired with a six-speed manual transmission, the engine was mounted at the front, marking a significant departure from the mid-engine layout of the marque's previous flagship V12 models. This configuration is still used today in the 12Cilindri.

Because of Jordan's height (198 cm), the car was reportedly also fitted with a custom driver's seat featuring extended rails and thinner-than-standard upholstery. It bears the license plate MJ 5 and has approximately 6,400 miles (10,300 km) on the odometer. The NBA legend is said to have driven it to Bulls games, practices, and public events.

The estimated value of this 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello ranges from $700,000 to $1.3 million. Bidding will begin on September 15.

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