Michael Jordan’s mysteriously lost Ferrari has simple reason why it disappeared

The black Ferrari 512 TR gained cultural fame during a playoff game between the Bulls and Knicks in 1992, but hasn’t been seen in years until now.

Racing team owner Michael Jordan during qualifying for the Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Michael Jordan has a lot of nice things in his life like his unreal private jet with a $500K custom paint job, and his $115 million superyacht with the perfect name. What he doesn’t have is his 1992 Ferrari 512 TR that suddenly reappeared after not being seen in public since 2010.

Jordan, who played for 15 NBA seasons before retiring and making the Hall of Fame with the Chicago Bulls, has amassed a fortune since his career ended in 2003. The legend sold his share of the Charlotte Hornets in 2023 for approximately $3 billion, which was a profit of $2.25 billion. He’s also built his Air Jordan brand empire at Nike, giving him a net worth of $3.5 billion.

Everywhere Jordan goes he’s got fans. | KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As his life has gone on for the now 62-year-old, so has some of his possessions including just selling his Chicago-area mansion after being on the market for over 12 years. Another one was his black Ferrari that gained cultural fame after he pulled up in it for a Game 5 of the 1992 playoffs vs. the New York Knicks.

The car remained in the 14-time All-Star’s possession until 1995 and made its final public appearance in 2010 — until now. After being gone for all those years there was a simple explanation why it wasn’t seen: The new owner kept it under lock and key as a collectible the whole time. This was discovered when some Miami-based vintage supercar experts tracked it down.

"Finding this car was like solving a mystery that has haunted us for years. Everyone knew the license plate. Everyone knew the legend. But no one knew where it was. Until now," said John Temerian after solving the mystery of the missing Ferrari.

It’s still cool it exists out there despite the simple explanation for why it hasn’t been seen. Take a look inside of the legendary Ferrari (scroll through).

“This car represents a moment in time,” Temerian said. “It’s the peak of Jordan, the peak of Ferrari—it’s bigger than basketball and bigger than the brand. We’re just thrilled to bring it back into the world.”

That’s a piece of NBA history right there. Jordan should buy it back for nostalgic reasons. Like the many stories of the man himself, this is another legendary tale involving Jordan.

MPS-Imagn Images