Yahoo Autos Michael Jordan's BMW 850i Is up for Auction on Bring a Trailer
The BMW 8-series was a pure 1990s grand tourer.
The 850i offered creamy V-12 power under the hood, fed to the rear wheels via either a four-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission.
This example comes with the manual gearbox and was purchased new by basketball great Michael Jordan.
Besides being a must-watch for any basketball fan, Netflix's The Last Dance is a car spotter's dream, particularly if you are a fan of 1990s baller rides. Slant-nose 911 cabriolets, heavy-hitter Mercedes limos, and of course top-spec Corvettes all swim onto screen, and most of the time, it's none other than His Airness at the wheel, the legendary Michael Jordan. Well, here's your chance to own a V-12–powered piece of that legend.
Up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is a 1991 BMW 850i that was owned by Michael Jordan during the years he was leading the Chicago Bulls to championship after championship. Even better, this mack-daddy BMW proves that Air Jordan was a true car guy, as it's equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox and some rare options.
BMW unveiled the E31-chassis 8-series at the 1989 Frankfurt auto show. A big luxury GT, it was not intended as a direct replacement for the 6-series but did basically supplant it, albeit with more power, greater luxury, and a higher price point. At the time, it took the fight to the likes of Porsche 928 and carried an ace up its sleeve in the form of a big BMW V-12.
BMW, of course, made its name in the 1980s with sporting inline-six engines. Pair two of those, and you've got 12 reasons to shell out for the nearly six-figure price tag the 850i carried at the time. However, the 850i's 5.0-liter M70B50 V-12 was more about silky-smooth, relentless power than induction snarl. But with 296 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque on tap, the 850i was a leather-lined freight train.
If you needed room to stretch out a six-foot-six frame, there were few better places to do it, and the Light Parchment interior is well preserved and complements the Maritius Blue metallic paint. The car sits on wide 17-inch AC Schnitzer wheels that are as deep-dished as you'd expect out of Chicago. There are a few other AC Schnitzer aero enhancements, but it's overall a pretty subtle look. The 8-series design itself has aged incredibly well, blending elements of the original M1 with the genteel demeanor of a contemporary Aston Martin.
Jordan traded this car in 1995, and the second owner drove it sparingly. There are just 30,000 miles on the odometer, so there's plenty of flight time left for this big V-12 cruiser, although the air conditioning needs some attention. The celebrity premium will be considerable, considering how much Jordan's other memorabilia often fetches, but it'll likely be a bargain next to a 911 or a Ferrari with MJ ownership history. If you loved The Last Dance, you're gonna love your first waltz on those three pedals even more.
The auction ends on January 8.
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