In May 1997, NBA great Michael Jordan had a very unique V12 Rosso Barchetta Ferrari 550 Maranello delivered to his home in Chicago. A few years later, he sold it, and no one had seen it since. Until now.
Finally, a collector has tracked down the 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello, chassis 108712, originally purchased by Jordan from Foreign Cars Italia in North Carolina.
The Ferrari was unique in more than one way. The V12 supercar with a tan interior and chrome Speedline wheels was finished in Rosso Barcehtta – dark metallic burgundy – instead of the usual Rosso Corsa – bright red. It also had modified seat tracks and padding density to accommodate his 6-foot-6-inch frame. It was also famously photographed being driven inside the United Center by Michael Jordan after the Chicago Bulls won the 1997 NBA Championship.
The car also sported the optional enameled yellow Scuderia Ferrari shields on the front fenders, which, legend holds, inspired the design of the Air Jordan 14 with the yellow Jumpman shield on the sides.
Also, according to an ESPN article, Michael Jordan “gave” the car to Scottie Pippen as a Christmas gift after he discovered his teammate was giving him a personalized earring, decorated with diamonds and shaped like the NBA trophy. Pippen eventually gave the car back to Jordan, who sold it to the Lake Forest Sports Cars dealership in 2002. No one had seen it since.
How did a collector track down Michael Jordan’s long-lost Ferrari 550 Maranello?
Much like they did when they found Michael Jordan’s iconic black 1992 Ferrari 512 TR, which had been missing for 15 years, the vintage supercar specialists at Curated were the ones who located it.
A forum post that contained only the final six digits of a Ferrari VIN served as the starting point for the search. The crew called a Ferrari contact to verify the registry after assembling the complete VIN.
To find the current owner – a wealthy, private person who refused to divulge details or even images of the vehicle – they had to hire private investigators and conduct searches in California.
Eventually, a mechanic who was familiar with the unique Ferrari 550 Maranello contacted the owner. When the team at Curated visited his residence, they left a letter but were still unable to reach him. The owner finally called two weeks later, saying, “Please, don’t bother my daughter-in-law again!” However, by the time that phone call ended, the owner decided to sell the vehicle. They purchased it sight unseen for what is said to be a record-breaking amount and sent it back to Chicago.
They were astounded to discover a cache of authentic documents, including a copy of the original title and the factory guarantee booklet bearing Michael Jordan’s real handwritten signature, when they opened the trunk after purchasing the Ferrari.
Coincidentally, Curated brought the Ferrari back to Chicago on May 29, exactly 29 years to the day after Michael Jordan originally purchased it.