Record amount spent on a single numberplate
January 31, 2008 by Karl Peskett
How much would you spend on a personalised numberplate? $100? $1000? What about $10,000, or even $100,000?
Well, sit down, because a businessman from the UK has spend a whopping ~AUD$985,800 including taxes, based on today’s exhange rate.
And what did he get for his near million dollar purchase? A letter and a number – the sought after “F1″ plate. According to London’s Daily Mail, car customizer and entrepreneur, Afzal Kahn, had his heart set on the plate.
“I knew I just had to have it,” Mr Kahn told the Daily Mail. “I have spent years chasing it. I cannot believe I’ve finally got it. I am privileged to have acquired such a prestigious plate. It’s every man’s dream to have his perfect car with a number plate like this.”
The previous record for a plate was $AUD738,000 for “M1″ at an auction by an anonymous bidder. But even this plate didn’t attract attention like Mr Kahn’s “F1″.
Apparently “F1″ caught the eye of Eddie Irvine and Bernie Ecclestone when it went up for auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in April 2005 but it remained unsold because the reserve price was not met.
The “F1″ plate is being affixed to Mr Kahn’s Mercedes Mclaren SLR supercar, which amazingly, cost less to buy than the number plate…
Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail
Print it: 
What a f.. complete wanker! Here’s an idea how about you give that money to charity. There’s something terribly wrong with this world when fools like this would rather spend this sort of money on a bit of tin then helping out others in need.
Perhaps he should have purchased FW for F… Wit!
^ haha! Good one.
I like the plate but not the price. Go easy on the guy, you don’t know him from a bar of soap. How do you know he hasn’t given a truck load of money to charity as well as his passion for cars etc.
Anthony, Even if he has given to charity in the past, which I doubt it. The point is to gain some perspective, balance, that sort of money used on something like that is a pathetic waste, period!
The number was owned by Essex County Council. All the money is to be spent on a young driver education programme.
Well done Mr Kahn, well done Essex County Council.
It’s his money, he’s probably earned it (one should hope), why shouldn’t he spend it on what ever he likes. No one tells you or I how to spend our money.
One a side note, I think personalised plates are cool. Most need decoding, but I have them on both my cars and am thinking of getting one on my bike soon too!
More money than brains!!!!!
I think u have made a error.
The website states its near GBP500k, thats AUS$1,119,520
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pag.....ge_id=1770
“took the total to around half a million pounds”
Cheers,
F-0
Thanks Lcat. Good to know.
F-O, according to my sources the price was GBP440,625 including VAT.
The actual price for the plate alone was GBP375,000.
Well, if nothing else, he makes very nice wheels. And if you’ve seen the price he charges for those, you’d understand why he can throw a lazy mill the way of a numberplate! :P
his money – enough said.
its funny because on the other car forums where the majority is of teenagers or fellas in early 20s, the same debate comes up when someone displays their reasonably done up car (oh how could you earn that much, oh rich parents etc) –
and its not much different on this forum of supposedly grown ups where the same questions arise -
..
Good on him. I’m sick of people who have earned their own money being expected to give it to charities. His money he can do whatever the hell he wants with it you pack of whiners.
The plate F1 on an F1 inspired car, he’s done well.
Duck, why is he an arsehole? Jealous?
Hey Duck – let’s hope you aren’t one of those kooks that go around and key prestige cars. The tall poppy syndrome seems alive and well in this country.
If you are ever fortunate enough to buy the car of your dreams – I doubt whether you’ll share the same opinion.
No one is telling him what to do with money BUT, a man should be judged by what he doesn’t do not just what he does…. in life.
Just like you don’t just judge a man by the friends he has because the enemies he has can shed a lot more light on his character!!
$1m for a numberplate.. instead of saying F1 it should say F-Wit
I smell jealousy and racism here.
Pretty sure if any of the people here flaming the fella for his wealth, were in the same position you’d do exactly the same if not more.
Grow up!
The question to ask here is defonatly why?
fair point his money his perogative
on the flipside though that plate can only go up in value could be a very strategic purchase after all
He spent $1 million on the plate.. yet some young kid just has to spend $5 bucks on a screwdriver.. and the plate is his
you friggin morons don’t get it! While people are f… starving in the world, he would rather stick his nose up at them and say I will buy this bit of tin instead. You lot who say he can spend his money on whatever he wants too, miss the big picture, and I don’t expect you to ever understand. Selfish narrow minded twats
F*ck starving people….THOSE PLATES LOOK LIKE SH*T… what a waste of money, for far less you can get better personalised plates in Aus (the ones with letters you choose and smaller sizes… not a huge plate with only small letters)
Hey Aston, how much have you donated to charity over the last two years. And don’t say you don’t earn enough!
Didn’t you read the comment that a Council owned the plate and ALL the proceeds will go towards driver education.
People are starving all over the world due to high level corruption which involves theft of charitable money and goods. Of course the biggest culprits are those who rule the poorest countries.
Go figure.
The guy who bought that plate probably works over 100 hrs a week and employs a bunch of people!
You have it all wrong mate.
It’s just a bloody waste of money for a piece of steel that has letters on it “F1″, When you could buy a Rolls Royce for the price!!!!!!!!!!!!!. How stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See these guys everyday here in UK, all this money and no taste..
Thats million dollars could have bought his fellow indians houses instead of the slums they live in.
Whats really amusing is that in reality there is no-such-thing as a personalised plate in the UK. This is a standard issued number from many year ago that just happens to configure to what the owner likes. We cannot have made up names like they do in the USA or Australia for that matter (not sure if I’m correct there). The licensing agency in the UK make a fortune out so so-called private plates that just happen to loosely spell words or initials. For instance “GO 05 EME” in plated to say ‘Goose Me’.
There was many years ago a pink Rolls Royce with the plate PEN 1 S…meaning to say pen*s.
It not a personalised plate as such. I for one hate the things and even if I owned a Maclaren Mercedes I’d stick with a regular plate. Tacky
I agree that it is his money and let him spend it on what he wants.
The money did go to an organization that will (hopefully) use it to help the community.
BUT…
On the other hand, as some have said. You have to realize that he is begging for some cynical criticism by his actions. Showing off his riches? His shallow purposes? etc.
So he gets satisfaction from boosting his own ego rather than helping others…. I think, by his action(s)… this is the message he sends to the world…
And that is what is wrong with people these days.
Lack of sensibilities.
There are millions of people in Africa getting sick because of lack of good sources. How about the thousands of teens/people needing support programs in established countries, that lacks funding…
Again, yes it his his money. But his action(s) basically sends the message that he is for self gratifications. If I was him, and I simply must have the plates, I would of just kept it anonymous… and maybe spend a couple of million on a charity and media coverage to expose the charity’s causes…. no?
he spend more money on the licence plata than the car it self LOL
The strangest number plate OUT-666 this was random on a new car.
F1 I wouldn’t be seen dead with it.
It is only money & cars.
And the proceeds of the sale for this went where?
Charity,government revenue,hospitals, schools?
Before passing judgement this guy might be a GENUINE philanthropist or did Thatcher make that unfashionable.
If he is fine but if it is all about me 1st,2nd&3rd,well it is shallow.
Your right he could of given that money to some poor african country so some dictator can slap in his swiss bank account with the rest of the money funneled from his country
duck you r on the money sort of bout the rolls, that is what this guy does! he pimps high end cars and if you saw the rolls he did you would cream ya pants. This guy is worth bout 400 mill pounds! As for those who talk bout starving people, do your reseach on this guy as in 06 this guy donated over 2 mill pounds 2 projects in 3rd world nations, so shut ya face!!!!!!!
P.S. I found all this out on Europes richest people on discovery travel (foxtel) for those free to air cheap scates.
Come on the guy’s a wanker with nothing better to do….i’d be too embarrassed to tell anyone how much that crap cost!!!
Micro pen*s syndrome!!!!!!
Spot on James!
now hold on righ there –
a fella who actually earns his own $$ (well done to him for his skills and getting to where he is) who the hell are any of you to say how he should spend it?
wtf good are those Royal families ? now that is WANK factor, have you ever seen the number of Range Rovers they have and how much they could actually be donating?
the fact of the matter is that people over here hurling verbal attacks at this fella are the ones themselves who have the micropen*s syndrome. You all know god damn well that if you were all up there you’d do exactly the same. And don’t tell me there aren’t such people here who are riding in the millionaires avenue and don’t do the same. You’ve got fellas here who’ve reached rich town with scams and getting away with it (that fella Shark @ the coast who has all those fancy cars), don’t see him donating to charity?
Look at your ownselves, how much have either of you donated charity? or are assisting in such a program? and don’t you dare bring up ‘oh we can’t afford it’.
Do a bit of research on the fella before you point a finger, just goes to show how arrogant and ignorant you are . Happy for when you make your own progress but can’t see someone else do better.
Can’t appreciate it? keep it to yourself.
It would be very easy for someone who lives in the UK and has better taste than this guy to grab a permanent whiteboard marker and fix that number plate….. it just seems too empty with just F1 and the one could easilly be turned into a W and maybe add an i and then a T.
Lets hope MICRO man gets what he deserves!!!
This guy’s bank balance = 9,000,000,000,000,000:00 but this guy’s imagination = minus 9,000,000,000,000,000:00
Yeah!!!!!!!!! So you probaly see his number plate slotlen and his saying “Oh no somebody please get that back!!!!” I’d be glad that my car didnt get stolen instead!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want the plate that pad just scrible it on a piece of cardboard “F1″
^Meant bad not pad
His guys is AMAZING… he went from nothing to multi millioner in a matter of 20 years.. I have endless respected for him and for anyone as successfull as him.
Bottom Line: Its his money, he earned it, he can spend it the way he wished. His a smart guy and the purchase is a great investment.
^I totally disagree!