Never before has such a large outlay been made for a car registration: 55 million dirhams, that is, almost 14 million euros at the current exchange rate. The purchase was closed last weekend in Dubai to a wealthy bidder, who did not want to reveal his identity, according to Emirates Auction LLC, the company that organized the charity auction, which was attended by some of the richest people in the East. .
Emirates Auction LLC sold license plate number P7, a plate distinguished by its simplicity and sobriety. It is not far from the ones we usually see on the roads: white, rectangular and only the number, the letter and the city (Dubai) break its simplicity. The plate can be used on any car registered in the emirate, sports car or not.
Gone is the previous sum, paid in 2008 by local businessman Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri, who paid 52.2 million dirhams for a number 1 plate in Abu Dhabi.
The organization ensures that it is the most expensive license plate in the world: "The auction sets a new world record and enters the Guinness Book of Records, by selling plate number P7, for 55 million dirhams, thus becoming the number most expensive in the world, whose collection will be entirely returned to support the efforts of the 1 Billion Meals Endowment campaign.
According to the company, all proceeds from the auction will go to the global food aid initiative of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, 1 Billion Meals Endowment, promoted to establish the largest endowment of sustainable food aid for Ramadan.
It is not the first time that disbursements of this type have been made in Dubai. As reported by Bloomberg, businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni, known as Abu Sabah, bought the D5 plate in 2016 for 33 million dirhams.
Buying a license plate with only one number has become a habit. In an interview collected by this medium, Sahni recounted how, when she first visited the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel in 2006, she was denied entry because her car license plate had too many numbers. She was told that she needed a double digit registration or a reservation. And she did not hesitate to fulfill her dream of buying a single number license plate.
Sahn said the D5 plate fit because his favorite number is nine, and if you add D (the fourth letter of the alphabet) with five, you get nine. In addition, he thought it was a good opportunity to donate money to that cause: "When I had the opportunity, and they told me that all this money goes to charity, I did everything."
