Be number 1
Yasser Akanbugi uncovers the big figures behind personalised car number plates
Owning a sleek, high-powered super car is one thing, but for a succinct and exclusive symbol of motoring glamour nothing beats a personalised number plate. In the US they are known as vanity plates or prestige plates; the former term hits the nail on the head. What else but vanity would prompt British comedian Jimmy Tarbuck to drive a car with the plate COM 1C? Or magician Paul Daniels to own a Bentley with the plate MAG 1C?
A good registration can do more to personalise a vehicle than any other customising. Which is why some owners willingly pay many thousands of dollars for their personalised number plates. They know the value can only increase and that they can always sell the plate on at a profit. It’s a serious investment and according to former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson “better than money in the bank”.
Each year, higher and higher prices are paid. In February, the UK record went when a plate with the legend “F1” was bought by businessman Afzal Kahn for US$870,000. In the same month, a charity auction at the Emirates Palace hotel, in Abu Dhabi, raised US$24million from 90 number plates.
The sale of the day was for the plate “1”, which became the world’s most expensive number after Abu Dhabi-based businessman Saeed Al-Khoury bought it for US$14million. “I bought it because it’s the best number,” he said. “I want to be the best in the world.” |
