Image Credit: Joopiter.A good Ferrari 550 Maranello is already a six-figure collector car, but once you attach Michael Jordan's name to one, it apparently adds another digit to the price.A 1997 550 Maranello formerly owned by His Airness has just changed hands for an extraordinary $2.7 million. The result set a public-auction record for the model and came in at more than twice its high estimate.The Ferrari isn't simply a car Jordan happened to own for a few months, either. He drove it during the Chicago Bulls' championship years, and photographs of the basketball star with the car helped make it part of his off-court image.According to the Joopiter auction listing, Jordan's Ferrari was expected to fetch between $700,000 and $1.3 million, but the bidders clearly had other ideas.Jordan Actually Drove This FerrariImage Credit: Joopiter.Chassis 108712 was delivered new to Jordan on May 29, 1997, through Foreign Cars Italia in Greensboro, North Carolina. Finished in Rosso Barchetta over tan leather, it wore chrome Speedline wheels and Jordan's Illinois "MJ 5" vanity plate.Jordan stands 6-foot-6, so the Ferrari was modified to better accommodate him. Extended seat rails and slimmer padding allowed the driver's seat to slide farther back.The car wasn't tucked away immediately after delivery. Jordan put roughly 6,400 miles on it, driving it to Bulls games, practices, and other appearances during his final championship seasons in Chicago.One particularly memorable trip came on June 13, 1997. After winning his fifth NBA championship, Jordan left Chicago's United Center in the Ferrari with his trophy in tow.It Even Inspired An Air JordanThe 550's connection to Jordan also reached his sneaker empire. Designer Tinker Hatfield used the Ferrari as inspiration for the Air Jordan XIV, incorporating automotive cues, including a tire-tread-style heel and a shield-shaped Jumpman badge.Underneath all that cultural significance sits a pretty special car in its own right. The 550 uses a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V12 producing 485 horsepower, paired with a six-speed gated manual transmission.Ferrari built 3,083 examples between 1996 and 2001. Jordan sold his in December 2002, after which it entered a private California collection and vanished from public view for roughly 24 years.A $2.7 Million ComebackImage Credit: Joopiter.Curated eventually tracked the Ferrari down after a lengthy search, and it returned to Chicago in 2026. Its odometer now shows around 18,500 miles.Joopiter's $2.7 million result is around four times the previous public-auction record for a 550 Maranello, according to the auction company.At that price, the buyer wasn't simply purchasing a gated-manual Ferrari V12. They were buying one of the most recognizable cars associated with Jordan at the peak of his career — and collectors decided that history was worth millions.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
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