Abu Dhabi // The car registration plate number 9 has been sold for Dh10million and become one of the most expensive number plates in the world. The total revenue for the "special-number" plate auction held by Abu Dhabi Police at the Emirates Palace hotel on Saturday reached more than Dh30m. The 81 plates auctioned also included the number 19, sold for Dh3.5m, number 77 bought for Dh3.3m, and the number 11111, which fetched Dh1.5m.
Brig Gen Salem al Shamsi, the director of privatisation and the resource management section, said there was an increase in the number of bidders this year. The money raised supports charity and social development projects. "The new auction season had a strong start, which shows that this season might include a lot of record-breaking plates," Ahmed Ahli, the successful bidder for the number 9 plate, said.
Organisers took extra efforts to make this season's auction unique, he added. The plates were presented in 3D with high-tech sound effects. "The new season shows a boom in licence plate auctions, which is a good economic sign," Salem Khalifa, another participant, said. hdajani@thenational.ae