Michael Jordan’s 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello has sold for $2.7 million, setting a public-auction record for the model.
The September 30 sale through JOOPITER, in partnership with specialist dealer CURATED, attracted 43 bids over roughly two weeks. The result more than doubled the $1.3 million upper estimate.
According to the auction house, the price exceeded the model’s previous public-auction record by more than four times. Jordan’s documented ownership helped distinguish the car from otherwise comparable examples.
The basketball star took delivery in May 1997, during the Chicago Bulls’ championship years. The Ferrari featured Rosso Barchetta paint, tan leather and the Illinois vanity plate “MJ 5”.
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Jordan drove it to games and practice, reportedly covering about 6,400 miles before selling it in 2002.
Photographs captured him leaving Chicago’s United Center in the Ferrari shortly after his fifth NBA championship in June 1997. The car also helped inspire elements of the Air Jordan XIV sneaker design.
Those connections gave bidders more than a desirable Italian grand tourer. They offered a documented link to Jordan’s playing career and his influence beyond basketball.
A manual V12 with championship history
Ferrari introduced the 550 Maranello in 1996. It restored the front-engined, two-seat V12 layout after more than two decades of mid-engined flagship road cars.
Its naturally aspirated 5.5-litre V12 pairs with a six-speed gated manual gearbox. Ferrari’s historical specifications list output at 485 horsepower at 7,000 rpm.
The manufacturer built 3,083 examples between 1996 and 2001, according to the supplied report.
However, Jordan’s Ferrari commanded a price far beyond ordinary examples. PakWheels placed typical values between $200,000 and $300,000, depending on mileage, condition and specification.
Against that range, the $2.7 million result represents roughly nine to 13.5 times the price of a conventional example. It demonstrates the premium collectors can attach to a particular ownership history.
The result also comfortably exceeded JOOPITER’s full presale estimate of $700,000 to $1.3 million, reported by Road & Track.
An online clue helped trace the car
After Jordan sold the Ferrari in 2002, it largely disappeared from public view.
CURATED founder John Temerian reportedly spent years tracing it. An incomplete vehicle identification number posted online eventually provided a lead, which investigators matched against Ferrari dealer records.
The Ferrari returned to Chicago for photography before the auction. That visit took place on May 29, 2026, exactly 29 years after Jordan’s original delivery, according to Auto Trader.
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At the time of sale, its odometer showed approximately 18,500 miles.
The result remains far below the $51.7 million Ferrari 250 GTO sale. Yet its premium over ordinary 550 values makes the Jordan connection central to this auction.
For collectors, the appeal combined a manual V12 Ferrari with photographs, ownership records and a link to the Bulls dynasty.
