| |
Number Plates of the Rich and Famous
By Ross O'Donnell
People of all ages and backgrounds are becoming aware of the joys and benefits of owing their own personalised number plate. However, private number plates have not always been so affordable and were once seen as a status symbol for the rich and famous. Here is a glance at some famous registrations over time and the proud owners of these number plates.
To start with we can look at our Royal Family, who are no strangers when it comes to personal number plates with some excellent examples owned in the family. Queen Elizabeth 2nd owns the registration A7, which is one of the most prestigious car registrations ever released, originally issued by London Council in 1903. A1 was the first registration number ever issued in London and was picked up by Earl Russell, who set up camp outside the registering offices in order to secure the ultimate number plate. Other Royal registration owners have included the late Queen Mother who owned NLT 2 and HRH Prince Philip who has OXR 1. Princess Margaret used to own the registration 3 GXM whilst YR 11 is the Duke of Kent's personal number plate. Last but not least is Princess Ann who once owned 1 ANN; however she gave it up for security reasons.
Another "Royal" number plate that has graced the number plate market was sold at a DVLA auction in 1993. K1 NGS was bought buy an anonymous bidder for the royal sum of £235 000. For over 13 years this held the title of the most expensive private number plate ever sold until it stripped of its title by 51 NGH (SINGH) for £254 000. Since then the record has been broken again and again.
The owner of Chelsea Football Club Roman Abramovich recently increased the spending at Stamford Bridge, only this time it was on his very own personalised number plate! It is reported that Mr Abramovich paid £285 000 for the registration VIP 1, which at the time equated to the most expensive personal number plate signing in the country! It was initially issued by the DVLNI (which is the Northern Ireland equivalent of the DVLA) for the forthcoming visit of Pope John Paul II. Since then it changed hands a few times before being signed up at Chelsea.
Currently the most expensive private number plate ever sold is the registration M1, bought for the eye popping sum of £331 000! This was the first car registration to be issued by Cheshire Council over 100 years ago. It was sold on behalf of the National Trust who acquired the registration when Tatton Park was donated to them in the 1960's. The money raised from the sale of the registration is being used by the National Trust for on going work and projects.
These registrations all have fantastic stories to go with them. Understandably there are many famous people who choose to keep their registrations a secret. Next time you are out on the roads why not see what number plates you come across, and who knows, you may even get a glimpse of your favourite celebrity!
About the Author
Ross O'Donnell is company secretary of Cape Plates and has a passion for car registrations and dateless number plates. Cape Plates offer access to over 30 million car registrations via the website as well as a free valuation and selling service.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/42660.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/42660.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Ross O'Donnell | Making an offer on an Irish Property
More often than not, First Time Buyer Ireland couples/singles find it very difficult to obtain suitable mortgage offers. However, after you pass the mortgage loan toil, the next issue on the inventory ...
Ugly people – more than a joke
We can think long and hard about what makes us humans. The truth of the matter is that we are not perfect and we all have our own defects. Ugliness is part of us and ...
Ugly men and ugly women – ugly on the inside/outside?
The Internet is one of the most amazing things ever invented. It can offer us all the info we need and much more. The online world can be a ...
Do ugly women feel the same as ugly men?
There have been a lot of research studies made about ugly people. When I say ugly people I don't just mean ugly men, but also ugly women, even though ...
Ugly women and men facing the issue of beauty
From ugliness to beauty – nothing can be more representative than examples. If you look it up on the Internet, you'll see just how difficult it is for people to reach ...
Ugly people and charisma
We are sure that the idea of ugly women who nonetheless possess unbelievable, charming and persuasive powers is not new to your mind. And this doesn't go true for women exclusively, but for ugly ...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
