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Michael Jordan's Ferrari 550 Maranello Is for Sale on Pharrell’s Auction Site. Will It Set a Record?

Any sharp-eyed fan watching the ESPN documentary, The Last Dance, would have clocked that shooting guard Michael Jordan had some pretty great taste in cars. MJ loved a Corvette and a Range Rover, but he was also a fan of a tastefully optioned Porsche 911. Can you pull off a 993-chassis air-cooled 911 Turbo S with the vanity plate AIR? You can when you're Michael.

Being six-foot-six means Jordan needs a little space to stretch out after a game, which is why, in 1997, he ordered a specially prepared Ferrari grand tourer. Delivered just in time for taking a victory lap after winning his fifth NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls in June of that year, it's a 1997 550 Maranello in red over tan. You can spot it in The Last Dance, rolling out of practice in January of '98.

Red sports car with sleek design parked in a dark setting.

JOOPITER

All by itself, a 550 Maranello is one of the great Ferraris. It pairs the muscular spirit of the earlier 365 GTB/4 Daytona with a more modern chassis and very quick steering. You get all the modern conveniences, but at its heart, it's still a lusty 485-hp Ferrari V-12 with a gated manual shifter. Clutch work from Jordan as usual.

Also part of the 550’s appeal is its understated elegance, and this example is no exception. Jordan spec’d it without the yellow Ferrari fender shields, and while you can't really fly under the radar in a bright-red Ferrari, it's pretty understated. Unique modifications are restricted to the interior, with Ferrari fitting longer chair rails and slimmer seat padding to better fit Jordan's frame.

Interior view of a Ferrari sports car featuring a tan leather seat and dashboard instruments.

JOOPITER

After faithfully serving him for several years, this car was sold off at the end of 2002. From there, it basically disappeared, only emerging again this year after a long hunt. It's been driven sparingly over the years and has just under 19,000 miles on the odometer.

Being part of the fifth and sixth championship wins, this Ferrari is not just a collector car, but also partly a piece of sports memorabilia. It also has the distinction of inspiring one of MJ's signature shoes, the Air Jordan XIV, sketched out by Nike VP of Design Tinker Hatfield. The shoe incorporates a Ferrari-like yellow-and-black Jumpman logo, and the sole of the heel is patterned like a tire tread.

Red sports car parked in a studio with dramatic lighting, showcasing its curves and chrome wheels.

JOOPITER

Jordan's Maranello is being auctioned off not by one of the usual automotive specialists, but by Joopiter, a platform that ordinarily sells sports collectibles. It was founded by singer Pharrell Williams, and this is its first time auctioning a car, in partnership with auto specialist Curated. Ordinarily, a game-worn jersey doesn't come with a V-12 installed.

Just how much the Jordan provenance adds to the eventual hammer price of this car will be interesting to see. A delivery-mileage 1998 Maranello sold for a record-setting $650,000 just last month, but projections are above that figure just to start.

How high could the bids go? Over $1 million? Well, we're talking Michael Jordan here. He made a career out of proving the sky was no limit.

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Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.