12-year search reveals Michael Jordan’s lost Ferrari survived LA Wildfires

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan famously drove a black Ferrari 512TR to the arena during the 1992 NBA playoffs.

12-year search reveals Michael Jordan’s lost Ferrari survived LA Wildfires

Michael Jordan's black Ferrari 512TR has been tracked down after fifteen years

Ever since Michael Jordan landed big paychecks from either the Chicago Bulls or Nike or any other brand, he has set a lot of money aside to purchase some lavish items. Other than his custom designed multi-million dollar mansions, His Airness also has a weakness for fast automobiles.

The now 62-year-old was recently in the news for two outlandish purchases. One was when he took delivery of a personalized Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution. The hypercar is valued at $3 million and happens to be one of the fastest cars in the world.

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Other than that, he has also dived into the world of electric mobility. But he chose to again go the way of speed and thrill when he purchased a Battista Targamerica, an electric hypercar for which he paid $2.2 million.

His taste for custom one-off machinery has seen him own some legendary cars to date. But one of the most memorable ones from his all-time stable was one particular black Ferrari with a North Carolina number plate that read ‘M. AIR. J’.

It was a 512 TR, or late model Testarossa that happened to be Ferrari’s best at the time. A photograph of that car from the 1992 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals shows Jordan getting out of the car outside Chicago Stadium. He also had a red Testarossa which he ended up gifting teammate Scottie Pippen.

Jordan sold that car in 1995 and was in public view until 2010. It went up on auction and was never seen in public since. John Temerian, co-founder of CURATED, who specialize in restoring vintage supercars tracked the car down after twelve years on the hunt.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Michael Jordan has inspired millions of people to either pick up a basketball or pursue their dreams. His success story both as an athlete and a businessman is the stuff of folklore. But before he became the man he was, there was another person who was inspired by a red Ferrari.

Chris Gardner was inspired by a stockbroker who parked his red Ferrari on Wall Street. Gardner went from being homeless to becoming a successful stockbroker himself. Gardner, whose life inspired the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, famously ended up purchasing this black Ferrari from Michael Jordan himself.

He then drove around with a different plate that read ‘NOT. MJ’. Curated did not reveal how the 512TR ended up at the 2010 auction, but they believe Chris Gardner kept the car until that time. In their search to find the car, Curated ended up knowing how this particular Ferrari embodies what Michael Jordan was all about.

Michael Jordan’s car was similar to Michael Jordan the player

Michael Jordan might have sold the car in 1995. But whoever ended up owning it next, had a life-story of their own. Chris Gardner’s story is the stuff of legends. But the third owner’s story was not anything less. Curated revealed that the third owner purchased the car at the 2010. He spent nine months driving it and then parked it after a cancer diagnosis.

He could not go out with it as he was battling to save his life. The owner eventually did but still could not drive the car due to several limitations. He parked it in his open garage at his Los Angeles home all these years. Curated were surprised that the car and the house were right where the wildfires raged through the city.

When they arrived to confirm the car and purchase it, they noticed that all surrounding houses had burnt down in the wildfires. But this house stood untouched and not a single fire splinter landed on this Ferrari 512TR.

Quite the story, considering several people lost their houses, cars and belongings in the fires that engulfed Los Angeles. Now Curated have sent the car to Maranello so that Ferrari can restore it to its original state. They have also reached out to the 6-time champion‘s representatives to keep him informed.