A Dubai-based auction smashes a 15-year old record for the most expensive number plate in the world.
Australians love private number plates with a two-digit plate selling for over $1 million dollars recently in Victoria. However, the global record for the most expensive number plate ever sold has just been broken in Dubai at a staggering $22.4 million.
Although a private number plate is typically a public way of displaying wealth, the identity of the highest bidder on this occasion was kept anonymous. The plate read ‘P 7’, which in Dubai reads ‘7’ due to the number plate design.
It’s not the first time the ‘7’ has been in high demand as a number plate, with the numeral seen as lucky in many cultures around the world. Back in 2016, a ‘7’ number plate sold for over $5.5 million in the United Arab Emirates having previously been sold for a similar amount in 2010. The top nine most expensive plates in the world are all from the UAE. The previous record holder was the number plate ‘1’ which local businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri paid $13.4m for in 2008. The plate sat on cars like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Mercedes G-Wagen.
These numbers dwarf the kind of cash paid for Australian number plates but there have still been some pricey domestic registrations change hands in the past.
The proceeds of the charity auction went to Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s foundation, the 1 Billion Meals Endowment.