How often do you notice other people’s number plates when you are driving around? To some, a number plate is even more important than the car itself, which is why the world has seen millions of euros spent on personalised plates in the past few years. Whether it is to enhance a Rolls-Royce or a grand gesture for a loved one, people are willing to spend big to for vanity. Read on to find out more about the most expensive number plates ever sold.
5. M1 - €373,000
Mike McCoomb paid €373,000 for the ‘M1’ number plate back in 2006. The number plate was reportedly bought as a birthday present for his 6 year old son, despite him not being able to drive for another 11 years. The first of the number plate's four owners was a 1903 2/16hp 2-cylinder Darracq, which lived in the UK's Cheshire country estate of Tatton Park. Interestingly, the general manager of Tatton Park only sold the rights to the number plate, which means that the original will remain on this car forever.
Image source: Angel Plates
4. 1D - €398,000
Unfortunately, the ‘1D’ number plate does not belong to the world-famous pop group One Direction. In fact, this plate was bought a year before the group even formed by a Lebanese businessman named Nabil Bishara who is based in London. The combination of one letter and one number makes for a very expensive duo, with Nabil paying €398,000 to get his hands on it. However, this plate was not for his own use, it was in fact a romantic gesture for his wife to put on her Rolls-Royce.
Image source: Twitter
3. F1 - €498,000
Afzal Khan managed to break Mike McCoomb’s record of the UK’s most expensive number plate ever sold when he bought F1 for €498,000 in 2008. The plate now sits on his Mercedes SLR McLaren, which is just one of the many motors that he owns. Khan has repeatedly stated that he believes the registration plate is worth a lot more than what he paid and was therefore happy with the amount he bought it for. Rumour has it that he has since been offered €6 million in exchange for the F1 plate, which he refused.
Image source: Daily Mail
2. 5 - €4 million
Mr Khoury, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, spent over €4 million on a number plate with the single digit ‘5’ in 2007. This number plate was bought to sit on one of the 6 Rolls-Royces that he owns. Interestingly, at the same auction where he bought the ‘5’ number plate, he also bid for another number plate with two figures, ‘55’, which he went on to win. He later declared that the number 5 has absolutely no significance to him. Let’s hope that he’s changed his mind about that!
Image source: Maximum BHP
1. 1 - €8 million
In 2008, Mr Ghaffer Khouri, who is also from the United Arab Emirates, set the record of the most expensive number plate ever sold when he purchased the single digit number plate for over €8 million in 2008. After auction, Mr Khouri commented that he bought it because he believed that the number 1 was the best number. Working in an Persian Gulf city, where there is not much public transport, the car that you drive is extremely important and represents pride and status. This could be why Mr Ghaffer Khouri thought it to be so important that he got his hands on the world’s most expensive number plate.
Image source: This is Money
Looking for a flashy new number plate? Or are you fascinated by cars and would love a new gadget for your motor? Check out our Automobilia & Motobilia auction to see what's available. Or perhaps you're looking to upgrade? It's quick, easy and safe to sell on Catawiki. With one account for buying and selling, all you need to do is register as a seller to be able to start offering up objects for auction right away.
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