A record price has been set for a British vehicle registration number after a
businessman paid £440,625 to buy the Formula One initials F1.
Afzal Khan, 37, smashed the previous record of £331,000, paid 18 months ago
for M1, to purchase the historic F1 number plate from Essex County Council.
The Bradford entrepreneur, who owns a specialist car design company, plans to
display the number plate on his £317,000 Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar.
F1 was the first number plate issued by the Essex County Register of Motors in
1904, the year it became compulsory for motor vehicles to bear a
registration plate.
Its first owner was the Essex county surveyor, Percy John Sheldon, who
attached it to his 15hp, four-seater Panhard Levassor.
After a period in private hands it was given back to the county council in
1955 and subsequently used on a variety of civic limousines including a
Darracq Torpedo, a Humber, a Daimler and a Jaguar.
The authority will use its windfall to fund an advanced driver training
programme to improve the skills of hundreds of young motorists in Essex.
Lord Hanningfield, the council leader, said he was pleased that the money was
being put to such a cause.
"It will be with some sadness that we will be losing this little piece of
Essex history but we have sold it at a time when such number plates are
reaching very high sale prices on the market and we have reached a deal
which breaks all previous records," he said.
Mr Khan, the owner of Khan Design, which describes itself as "the most
successful automotive design house in the UK", said that he had been
tracking the F1 plate for a number of years. He believes that he has
purchased a bargain.
"I think it's a good price to pay because it's probably worth 10 times
that," he said.
"I am privileged to have acquired such a prestigious plate and I'm
extremely happy that the money raised from the sale will help improve road
safety through the training of young drivers."
Mr Khan's total investment of £440,625 (£375,000 plus VAT) beats the £331,000
paid by a Cheshire businessman in July 2006 for the number plate M1,
apparently as a present for his son's sixth birthday. In April 2006 a Sikh
businessman paid £254,000 for the number plate 51 NGH (spelling the name
Singh).
The world record price for a registration plate, £3.5 million, was paid at an
auction in Abu Dhabi last year by a prominent Gulf businessman, Talal Ali
Mohammad Khouri, for the single-digit number 5.That record is expected to be
broken later this year, when Abu Dhabi Police auction the most sought-after
number plate in the United Arab Emirates, the single-digit 1.
Its amazing how people can spend soooo much money for a number plate... hey but if you got it like that WHY NOT......
Jawad Mir, New york, U.S.A/New York
£17,600 per square inch (based on Mike's measurements)! I've been wondering for some time if there's anything left that offers poorer value than a new-build apartment, and now I've found it!
MT, Bradford,
What you should bear in mind is your not buying the number plate only the right to show it on your car !
The number remains the property of the DVLA and can be revoked at any time (Scarey Stuff)
DAVID, LEATHERHEAD, SURREY
It so phenomenal, if i had that kind of money i guess id buy a diamond ring, but guys being guys, i guess its cars and football. Why not, if you got it, fluaut it. WELL DONE TO THE COMPANY. KAHNDESIGN.
SHARON, lancashire, uk
Money CAN buy you "Love"- But it sure can't buy you sense!!
MarkC, Reigate,
How the hell can you justify purchasing this plastic 2.5 inch by 10 inch nonsense. !!! In a world where a mere fraction of this could feed and clothe millions across the world ... and benefit children in this country and beyond.
Shame on you!
ps. Give us a sub !
Mike, West Yorkshire, UK
It's much cooler to see a supercar with an ordinary number plate, a bit of dirt on it and maybe a dent or two in the bodywork.
Vladimir, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Top man!
Paul, Wakefield, wakefield