A car registration number for Rs 5.04 crore!

Caption: DVLA Personalised Registrations’ official auctioneer Dave Hawes setting a British record for the highest amount paid for a personalised registration sold by the DVLA as 25 O sells for £518,000.

In India, personalised car registration numbers have seen celebrities, conmen, businessmen and smugglers vying for a unique number that would set their car number plate different from the ordinary. Lakhs of rupees have been spent in the past by individuals seeking to grab a unique car registration number . So is the trend abroad.

According to a press release, DVLA Personalised Registrations has set a new British record for a personalised registration sold by the Agency after 25 O was bought for more than £500,000. In fact, John Collins, who, as owner of Talacrest, is regarded as one of the world’s leading collectors and dealers of classic Ferraris, , bought 25 O for £518,000 (Rs 5.04 crore crore approximately or Rs 50444032.69) less than three hours after successfully buying 250 L for a staggering £130,320 (Rs 1.26 croreapprox.)

You might be wondering why 25 O? Well, 25 O will sit on the world’s most exclusive car, the Ferrari 250 SWB once owned by the rock singer Eric Clapton, while 250 L will head onto another exclusive car, a rare 1964 Ferrari Lusso owned by Collins. Both sums include fees and take the total amount paid by the businessman to £648,320.

Both the registration numbers were among the 1,600 registrations auctioned by the Agency as part of its 25th Anniversary three-day auction – and also 150th live sale – currently being held at The Vale Resort near Cardiff in England.

Moments after his success, Collins said: “I was just determined to own them, it was just a case of how much I was going to have to pay for the privilege.”

Asked just how much he was prepared to pay for 25 O, Mr Collins replied: “I’m not too sure, it could possibly have been the first £1 million personalised registration!”

Meanwhile, Jody Davies, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ Events Manager, said: “What a spectacular way to mark our 150th auction during our 25th Anniversary year. While we had high hopes for both registrations, we never dreamt they would be so successful and enable us to make history for the DVLA.”