Plate "1" sold for $14.5 million

This week-end at an auction in the United Arab Emirates the number 1 plate was sold for $14.5 million and the businessman who bought it said it was ready to go up to $30 million to buy it.

"Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri, paid Dh52.2 million, more than double the current record, to become the proud new owner of Plate "1" — the ultimate car registration number," announced Abdulla Matar Al Mannaei, Managing Director of Emirates Auction, the official auctioneer for Code 5 distinguished number plate auctions, supported by the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police.

The earth-shattering price breaks Emirates Auction’s own record for the most expensive car license plate ever sold. Plate "5" sold for Dh25.2 million in May 2007 - almost 10 ten times the value of the luxury car it adorns. It was snapped up by Abu Dhabi businessman Talal Ali Mohammad Khouri.