Michael Jordan’s iconic 1992 Ferrari Testarossa resurfaces after 15 years

The Ferrari thought to be lost forever and the heartwarming story behind its third owner

Michael Jordan was an iconic basketball player who created a product empire after his playing days. Whether it was his play on the court, his brand Jordan product line, his Chicago mansion, his custom painted private jet, or even his 23XI Racing team, Jordan has been tied to some very impressive and expensive ventures.

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One of the biggest flex items on that list was Jordan’s 1992 black Ferrari Testarossa. At the time, the two most impressive high-end sports cars in production were the Lamborghini Countach and the Ferreri Testarossa. Both cars would be woven through the fabric of our pop culture in the 90s. While Lamborghini had been a known commodity to most young Americans, the Testarossa was the first Ferrari to truly capture the American attention, in some part to MJ’s affection for that vehicle at the peak of his greatness.

Jordan has always had an affinity for luxury cars, even before he could afford one. In 1984, Nike put together the largest endorsement deal ever offered to an NBA rookie. The terms were $500k per year, a percentage of revenue from everything sold with his name on it… and a red 1985 Mercedes Benz 380 SL. Thanks to Deloris Jordan, Michael’s mom, who made sure her son signed a landmark deal.

In Jordan’s life, he has enjoyed a wide range of luxury vehicles, but none was more iconic than the Testarossa. His collection includes manufacturers like Bugatti, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, Porche, Bentley, Cadillac, and the Chevy Corvette, but none of them will be remembered as readily as the Testarossa.

Watching MJ step out of that six-figure machine became as much of a statement as appearing in a new pair of never before seen Air Jordan shoes, but much less attainable for the average consumer. Jordan got out of the Testarossa before Game 5 of the second round of the 1992 playoffs versus the New York Knicks is among one of the 10-20 most memorable sports images of the 20th century.

The last time anyone ever saw Jordan’s famous Testarossa in public was 15 years ago. In 2010, the famous Ferrari was sold at auction and the identity of the buyer remained anonymous. No one seemingly in the world had seen Jordan’s sports car. Not at a car show, not on the street, no one had seen that specific Testarossa anywhere for almost two decades. A concept that is somewhat atypical. Usually when a huge celebrity sells something like a famous car, it will resurface elsewhere. The reason the car had gone missing is due to the 3rd owner understanding exactly what he had.

The Ferrari that was delivered to Jordan on February 29, 1992 (yes, leap day) was a mainstay in Jordan’s personal collection until only 1995, when it was sold to Chris Garnder. That name might ring a bell as Gardner was the inspiration of the movie based on a true story called, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” starring Will Smith. At that auction, the car then sold for roughly $80,000-$100,000, a reasonable asking price considering who owned it and how famous it became.

Curated released a YouTube video chronicling the journey of finding this vehicle. After the events of the ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ movie, when the real life Chris Gardner began to enjoy some success in the financial market, he purchased Jordan’s Testarossa in 1995 and was even seen driving it in public. Comedically, those images include a new vanity license plate that reads, “NOT MJ” as opposed to the vanity plate Jordan had that read, “M-AIR-J”.

The car would then eventually find its way to an older couple in California. A man identified only as “Herschel” confirmed that from 1995 until now, he has kept the car under lock and key, and it is essentially in the same condition it was in 1995. Herchel has a remarkable story involving southern California fires and a rare bone cancer diagnosis. Yet, the Golden State gentleman never considered selling this car even though it would’ve netted him a handsome price. He mentioned that after he bought the car, he would run it around the block after midnight to not draw attention.

In a simply heartwarming gesture, the crew at Curated purchased the car from Herschel with the promise that once they’ve restored it, they will bring it back to Herschel and allow him to drive the restored car around the block one last time.

Curated co-founder John Temerian described the Testarossa discovery as “finding this car felt like solving a mystery that’s haunted us for years” and “there are few moments in this business that truly give you chills”. This journey included a number of dead ends and misleading information for Curated, but they persisted and their efforts paid off. Temerian mentioned that this car, in 1992, was a moment in time.

The peak of Jordan, the peak of Ferrari. It’s bigger than basketball and bigger than the brand. Curated plans to move the car to Italy for Ferrari to perform the task of restoring it to its original condition. In the history of celebrity owned sports cars, the gravity of this find is top tier. Short of James Dean’s 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder (the car Dean was in when he died), there might not be a bigger car and its celebrity than the Jordan 1992 Ferrari 512 TR Testarossa in American pop culture history.