(Un)Obtainable Luxury and Performance: The Semiotics of Michael Jordan’s 1996 V12 Mercedes S600 Lorinser

On August 23rd, 2020 a model of 1996 V12 Mercedes S600 Lorinser was sold at an eBay auction. While the asking price for this particular model, in 2021, is approximately between $4,500 and $11,000, this particular car was sold for a hefty sum of $202,200. What makes this Mercedes car unique and pricey is the fact that it used to belong to a basketball’s great, Michael Jordan. The fact that the auction in question was finalized in the midst of global, Coronavirus pandemic, and following the release of The Last Dance documentary on Jordan’s career, factors into the interpretation of the semiotics of the automobile itself. The aim of this paper is to analyze: the semiotics meanings attached to Michael Jordan as a persona and a brand/sign; the semiotics meanings attached to Mercedes brand and cars; and, ultimately, shifting semiotic meanings of Jordan’s 1996 V12 Mercedes S600 Lorinser in the context of time and the selling price, with nostalgia as a factor.