A long-lost V12 from the era of the greatest who ever played just sold for more than double its estimate, and the story behind it is pure automotive gold.
The Car That Drove Home From History
On the night of June 13, 1997, Michael Jordan won his fifth NBA Championship at Chicago's United Center. Hours later he drove out of the arena in chassis 108712, cigar in hand, trophy in tow. Rosso Barchetta paint, chrome Speedline wheels, tan leather, and an Illinois vanity plate that read MJ 5. It was not simply a Ferrari resting in a superstar's garage. From 1997 through Jordan's final championship season, this was the most recognizable front-engined Italian V12 in America, a fixture at home games, practices, and public appearances, a rolling piece of Bulls history that soaked up roughly 6,400 miles of real use at the hands of the greatest basketball player of all time.
A Maranello Reborn
The 550 Maranello marked Ferrari's return to the front-engined V12 grand tourer, the configuration that defined the marque's golden era, reborn after two decades of mid-engined flagships. At its heart sits the Tipo F133A, a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 producing 485 horsepower, channeled through a gated six-speed manual with a claimed 199 mph top speed. Just 3,083 examples were built between 1996 and 2001, and this one wears the era's most elegant specification: Rosso Barchetta over tan leather. Its full identity is stamped in the metal: VIN ZFFZR49A2V0108712, the R49A code anchoring it to the 550 family and the trailing sequence pairing it to chassis 108712. To those of us raised on Pininfarina's clean, confident lines, the 550 is a love letter, proof that a grand tourer need not shout to seduce.
Built Around a 6-foot-6 Legend
Because Jordan stands six-foot-six, Ferrari tailored the car for its most famous owner. The factory extended the seat rails and specified slimmer-than-standard padding so the seating position could be set as far back as possible. The original warranty card remains with the car, carrying his signature and his Durham, North Carolina address.
The Shoe That Wears the Ferrari
The car's reach extends well beyond the road. Tinker Hatfield designed the Air Jordan XIV as a direct tribute to Jordan's Maranello, carrying its design language into the sneaker: quilted leather referencing the cabin, a tire-tread heel, sculpted air-vent detailing, and a Jumpman badge set in a shield modeled on the prancing-horse emblem. Jordan debuted the XIV on June 14, 1998, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, wearing it as he hit the title-winning jumper over Bryon Russell with 5.2 seconds remaining, the Last Shot, his final basket as a Chicago Bull. The Maranello is the object standing behind that moment.
Twenty-Four Years in the Shadows
On December 4, 2002, Jordan sold the Maranello through Lake Forest Sportscars in Illinois. And then it was gone. For nearly a quarter of a century there were no confirmed public sightings, and collectors spoke of it as one of Ferrari's missing celebrity cars. After a decade-long effort led by CURATED co-founder John Temerian, a partial chassis number surfacing in an old online forum allowed the team to reconstruct the full VIN. Working from Ferrari's historical dealer records, which still listed chassis 108712 under Jordan's name with the MJ 5 plate attached, the researchers traced the car to a long-term California owner who had never publicly offered it. Temerian acquired it sight unseen, and on May 29, 2026, exactly twenty-nine years after its original delivery, it returned to Chicago.
A Public Homecoming, Measured in Dollars
Offered at Pharrell Williams's Joopiter platform with an estimate of $700,000 to $1,300,000, chassis 108712 blew past expectations, hammering for $2.7 million, more than double the high estimate. Against the wider 550 market, the result reads as a clear premium for the assignment of ownership: a championship car, a personal friend, and a time capsule of the sport's greatest era, all in one chassis.
