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I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume the vast majority of car owners don’t really care about the numbers and letters that comprise the license plates that are affixed to their vehicles.
Of course, there are some people who will opt to shell out some money to personalize that particular aspect of their registration—like the North Carolina woman who found herself fighting the DMV after it ordered her to return the “FART” vanity plate the agency had approved before reversing course.
Anyone who wants to order one of those custom plates in the United States typically has to pay a somewhat nominal fee—although “nominal” is the last word you can use to describe the sums residents in other countries are willing to shell out in an attempt to flex.
That includes the United Arab Emirates, which is home to plenty of residents who view license plates with one or two letters or numbers as the ultimate status symbol.
In 2008, Saeed Abdul Ghafour Khouri used some of the billions of dollars at his disposal to earn the right to affix a plate that simply reads “1” to his Mercedes G Wagon after purchasing it for 52.2 million dirhams (the equivalent of $14 million) at auction.
That mark set the world record for the most expensive license plate ever sold.
However, there’s now a new mark to beat, as UPI reports a buyer recently shelled out 55 million dirhams ($15 million) at an auction where a tag reading “P7” was put up for grabs.
Based on photos released by Emirates Auctions, the unnamed buyer wasted no time attaching the new acquisition to his white Bugatti, so while $15 million for a license plate may seem pretty steep for most people, it’s probably just a drop in the bucket for the man who can now brag about owning the most expensive license plate ever sold.