Jason Szenes / UPI Photo Service/Newscom/The Mega Agency; JoopiterA very special Ferrari formerly owned by basketball icon Michael Jordan has sold for $2.7 million at auction.The Ferrari 550 Maranello is already a six-figure collector car, but the link to the Chicago Bulls legend pushed the price up to more than twice the estimate on October 1.According to the auctioneers, Joopiter, the car was delivered new in May 1997 to Jordan and driven through his final championship seasons in Chicago with a "MJ 5" vanity plate.Credit JoopiterThe 550 uses a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V12 engine, which produces 485 horsepower and is paired with a six-speed gated manual transmission. It has a top speed of 199 mph and just 3,083 examples were built between 1996 and 2001.The car being sold really was a one of a kind, in terms of what the buyer was getting and the history.Jordan was seem driving the car out of the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on June 13, 1997, with the NBA trophy in tow and with a cigar in hand.The factory warranty card, still with the car, carries Jordan's signature and his Durham, North Carolina, address.JoopiterBecause he stands 6-foot-6, the car was fitted with a custom driver's seat: Ferrari is understood to have extended the seat rails and specified slimmer-than-standard padding, allowing the seating position to be set as far back as possible.Joopiter also says the specification remains one of the rarest and most elegant offered on the 550 Maranello: Rosso Barchetta over tan leather.According to Guessing Headlights, the car was sold by Jordan in December 2002 and went into a private car collection in California, vanishing from public view for 24 years. When it re-emerged, the cultural significance of the car was not lost on those bidding.Read More From First for AutosNorth Carolina Police Say Pair's Custom Couch Scooter Probably Not Safe To 'Drive'Autonomous Self-Driving Trucks Have Begun Hitting California HighwaysFlorida Driver Blows Kisses at Motorist Before Brake-Checking Him on Interstate, Leading to CrashThis story Michael Jordan's Ferrari 550 Maranello He Drove With NBA Trophy Sells for $2.7 Million first appeared on First for Autos. Follow First for Autos on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
+40 others
