A businessman has paid a record £352,000 for a UK personalised car registration plate.
The registration "1 D" was sold at auction to Lebanese property developer Nabil Bishara who bought the plate as a birthday present for his wife.
Mr Bishara paid the staggering #352,411 price for the plate at the DVLA Personalised Registrations auction in Warwickshire.
The sum smashed the DVLA's previous record of 254,000 pounds which was paid for registration 51 NGH in 2006.
Mr Bishara will put the number on his wife's Bentley.
The registration is regarded as one of the most desirable in the land and was expected to be the star lot in the auction at Ardencote Manor Hotel.
But DVLA bosses were staggered when furious bidding in the room and on the phone and internet saw the total soar.
Mr Bishara finally triumphed though, with his winning bid of 285,000 rising to 352,411 with fees and VAT.
Damian Lawson, DVLA Personalised Registrations Marketing Manager, said: "We always expected interest in this registration to be among the highest we've ever had and the pre-auction bids certainly backed that up.
"But we were still amazed when the bidding went as high as it did and we are absolutely over the moon with the final result."
A number of other desirable registrations are still to go up for sale at the auction which continues until Friday.
This includes 2 0, which is also expected to fetch a high price when it goes under the hammer on Friday morning.
A delighted Mr Bishara said: "I really wanted the number plate as it is the initial of my wife's name.
"I noticed it came up for sale so I travelled from London to the auction in Warwickshire.
"I was determined not to leave without it and was happy when the hammer came down.
"It is a nice present and worth the money."
The most expensive number plate in the world was snapped up by Saeed Khouri from the wealthy Abu Dhabi family who paid £7M for the licence with just the number one on it.
Post a comment