Hong Kong solo 'S' number plate sells for £1.45MILLION at auction
A number plate bearing just the single letter S sold at an auction in Hong Kong on 16th February. The sale is an annual event held by Hong Kong's transport department to mark Lunar New Year.
When bidding opened at HK$5,000 (just over £500), no one could have predicted that the registration plate would achieve such a spectacular hammer price. The eventual price of HK$14.2 million puts 'S' at number 29 in our chart of the world's most expensive number plates.
One reason the final price reached the heights it did is, reportedly, the letter S's association with DC Comics' iconic Superman character. That said, we don't recall the caped Man of Steel ever driving a car with his initial letter on its license plate...
Another impressive sale was that of the number plate '88'. '88' achieved a hammer price of HK$11.4million (£1.16million).
The number 8 is considered very auspicious in Chinese culture, and multiple 8s just add to the appeal.
Will auction produce Australia’s most expensive motorcycle number plate?
Heritage license plate collectors and motorcycle enthusiasts are taking a keen interest in an auction that ends on 25th February. The car number plate NSW 1 set an Australian record for the most expensive number plate when it sold last year for AUD$12.4 million (£6.4 million), and now its motorcycle counterpart is expected to make a tidy sum. (Note: Vehicle registration in Australia is a state matter, so plates may carry the same characters if they are from different states. In some states, the same characters may appear on a car and/or truck and/or motorcycle.)
NSW 1 has a lot going for it, as it is literally New South Wales's number-one motorbike plate. It's association with its record-breaking car equivalent will also add to its prestige.
As in the UK, cherished number plates are seen as an investment opportunity as well as a means to personalise vehicles and as items of historical significance. Usually seen on supercars and luxury SUVs, low-digit heritage license plates can be worth many times more than the cars they are displayed on.
In Australia, the actual, physical plates can be part of the value. Many heritage plate owners fit plastic reproduction plates to their vehicles rather than risk the metal originals being damaged or stolen.
The motorcycle plate ‘NSW 1’ was last sold on August 17th 2018. Motorcycle heritage plates are not considered as desirable as the equivalent car number plates, but this motorbike version is still expected to command an eye-watering price.
Irish policeman struck and injured by car with fake number plates
Limerick Gardai are trying to track down a silver coloured car and its driver after the vehicle hit and injured an officer. Gardai had received reports of a vehicle displaying bogus plates and were trying to mount a controlled interception to force the car to stop. The attempt was not successful and the car collided with the officer as it evaded police and fled the scene.
Gardai have appealed for witnesses who may have been in the vicinity of the Brú na Gruadán estate, Castletroy, County Limerick between 6pm and 6:30pm on the 10th February 2025.
Dubai Police seize vehicles for altered or obscured number plates
Dubai Police have impounded 23 vehicles for displaying obscured or altered number plates in attempts to evade identification by traffic cameras and ANPR systems.
The Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, Major General Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei warned would-be offenders that highly trained police used cutting-edge technology to spot plates that had been altered or obscured, insisting that anyone who believed they can get away with using such measures are mistaken.
Major General Al Mazrouei said, “We monitor both internal and external roads to address these violations. Some drivers have used chemical substances to obscure their plates, while others have bent their plates or applied stickers to make identification difficult. These are clear traffic violations and will result in legal consequences.”
Dubai's Decree No. 30 of 2023, governing the impounding of vehicles, means that the fine payable to release impounded cars can be up to Dh50,000 (£10,800). Major General Al Mazrouei said that such actions are forms of fraud as well as traffic violations and, as such, a criminal offence.
