UK man buys license plate "1 D" for $513,000

[Blue_Tires]

The trade in personalized license plates in the UK can be big business -- the most coveted ones aren't given away, they are auctioned off at country clubs and manor houses. And in spite of a thing called "the recession" the record price paid for a specialty plate in the UK has just been broken, with a Lebanese property developer paying £352,411 ($513,047 USD) to own "1 D." The actual winning bid was £285,000 ($414,893 USD), to which fees and taxes were added.

And this year will see four more auctions hosted, with the most important items on the block the initial run of O-series plates, from "3 O" to "6 O." The first, "1 O," was sold for £210,242 ($306,063 USD) in January. It is said that investors and businessmen are buying the plates now as investments. Oh, and that half-million-dollar plate will be going on a Bentley, and even with the recent price increases, the most expensive Bentley runs £245,000 ($356,865 USD). Let's hope that at these prices, the new owners are buying locking hardware. Check out the press release after the jump.



http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/26/yes-the-rich-really-i-are-i-different-even-now-uk-man-buys/

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I read a story last year about one of the billionaires in the UAE spending 7 or 8 million(?) on his personalized plate (could have been an urban legend, though)...But of course the concept of money means nothing when you have that much to burn...

[KamaAina]

1. How much for "F U"?

:P

[sammythecat]

2. Fuck him

What a dick

[gmoney]

3. and I felt extravagant paying $35 a year for mine...

and it was far cooler than 1 D



...no that's not really mine, but it's fun.

[CC]

4. Sounds like they like

low numbers plates there like they do in Delaware. DE original low numbers have been known to go for hundreds of thousands of dollars.