You’ll Never Guess What Happened to Michael Jordan’s Long Lost Ferrari
The sports car he purchased in 1992 went off the grid for over a decade – until now.
Screenshot: YouTube
From his shoes to his jerseys to his love letters to his teenage girlfriends, anything former NBA great Michael Jordan has ever touched is considered a treasure to his legions of fans. That’s why one Jordan super fan went on a quest to uncover the mysterious whereabouts of his long-lost sports car.
To call the 1992 Ferrari 512 TR a sports car is a serious understatement. This luxury ride was designed for maximum comfort and can hit a top speed of more than 190 miles per hour.
Jordan first bought the car in 1992 from a dealership in Lake Forest, Illinois. A picture of him stepping out of the car before Game 5 of the 1992 NBA Playoffs went viral in a time that predates social media.
The Bulls star owned the car until late 1995 when he put it up for sale. But it wouldn’t be long before the car was purchased by another interesting owner – businessman and motivation speaker Chris Gardner, whose real life rags to riches story inspired the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness,” starring Will Smith. In a hilarious nod to the previous owner, Gardner changed the license plate from “M AIR J” to “NOT MJ.”
“Ya’ll remember the red@ferrari from “The Pursuit of HappYness,” right? I had NOTHING at that moment. Well, one of the most SURREAL moments of my life was when I bought a Ferrari years later and it was Michael Jordan’s. Check out the license plate after I got it!” Gardner wrote in a February 13 Instagram post about the car.
But after going off the grid for over a decade, the folks from vintage car collectors CURATED, who had been tracking the cars whereabouts shared a surprising update on their YouTube channel.
“There are few moments in this business that truly give you chills,” said John Temerian, CURATED co-founder. “Everyone knew the plate. Everyone knew the legend. But no one knew where it went. Until now.”
In 2010, the Ferrari was purchased by a man in California who was diagnosed with cancer shortly after he took ownership and unable to drive the car. Temerian and his team bought the car and brought it back to life, something he considers a dream come true.
“This car is more than metal—it’s a moment in history,” Temerian said. “It represents the peak of Ferrari, the peak of Jordan, and a unique cultural crossroads.”
