Every sneakerhead knows the story. Tinker Hatfield saw Michael Jordan's Ferrari in the parking lot, and the Air Jordan 14 came out of it: the quilted leather from the cabin, the side vents off the bodywork, a tire-tread outsole, and a Jumpman set inside a shield that looks a lot like a prancing-horse badge. What almost nobody knew was where the car went. Now we do. The 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello is heading to auction on Joopiter, Pharrell's platform, with online bidding open September 15 through September 30 and the car on public display in New York from the 15th to the 20th, per HotNewHipHop.
## The car Rosso Barchetta paint. Chrome Speedline wheels. An Illinois plate that read "MJ 5," because he drove it straight out of the United Center the night he won his fifth ring in June 1997. The seat tracks and padding were customized to fit a 6-foot-6 frame. He sold it in December 2002 and the car dropped out of sight for almost a quarter century. Curated, the Miami supercar dealer, tracked it down earlier this year after co-founder John Temerian spent about a decade chasing it; the break came when a partial chassis number turned up in an old online forum post.
## The shoe The 14 debuted on Jordan's feet in the 1998 Finals, including Game 6 in Utah and the shot everybody calls The Last Shot. Hatfield has said for years that this exact car was the reference, which is why the "Ferrari" colorways of the 14 hit different from most theme releases: they're not a tribute to a brand, they're a tribute to one man's car. Joopiter is selling the jersey from Game 3 of that same 1998 Finals in the same sale, so the whole lot reads like a single chapter of the last Chicago title.
## The number Early estimates put the hammer somewhere between $700,000 and $1.3 million. A clean 550 Maranello without the provenance trades for a fraction of that. The premium is the plate, the paperwork and the fact that this specific car is on the mood board of one of the most personal designs in the Jordan line.
## Why it's on the show this week Because the 14 is having a moment on its own. Mowalola's take on the silhouette lands September 18. The "Forest Green" 14 comes back October 31, confirmed in hand at Jordan Brand's Fashion Week preview. And the car that started the whole shape goes on display in New York Tuesday. If you're in the city that week, go see it before the bidding ends. That's a piece of sneaker history you can stand next to.
## Sources - HotNewHipHop - Michael Jordan's Ferrari that inspired the Air Jordan 14 heads to auction (Sept. 9, 2026): https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/1008985-michael-jordan-ferrari-550-maranello-auction-sneaker-news - Sneaker News - Here's what Jordan Brand previewed at New York Fashion Week (Sept. 10, 2026): https://sneakernews.com/2026/09/10/jordan-brand-holiday-2026-preview-nyfw/ - Joopiter - auction platform: https://joopiter.com/