First Published 2008-05-02


The auction is for 57 special car registration plates

$9.8 million sought for car plates in UAE auction

double-digit plate 50 G sold for some $926,000 amid fierce race to grab few double-digit numbers on offer.

DUBAI - An auction for 57 special car registration plates fetched some 9.8 million dollars Friday, with the double-digit plate 50 G being sold for some 926,000 dollars, WAM official news agency reported.
More than 300 bidders took part in the auction organised by Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority, which saw a fierce race to grab the few double-digit numbers on offer.
The registration number 23 G came second after going for 2.92 million dirhams (795,600 dollars), while the number 32 G was sold for 2.5 million dirhams (681,000 dollars).
Triple-digit plate number 700 F was sold for 1.3 million dirhams (354,000 dollars), while four-digit plate 8000 G got 690,000 dirhams (188,000 dollars).
Auctions for car registration plates have become a fashion in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates with auction organisations frequently netting millions of dollars.
In February, a wealthy Emirati splashed out a record 52.2 million dirhams (14.2 million dollars) on an Abu Dhabi registration plate bearing number "1". In May last year, another one spent more than five million dollars for the number "5".
Oil-producing Gulf states such as the UAE have seen their economies boom in recent years on the back of record-high crude prices.

http://news.ph.msn.com/topstories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1369689

ehn yor see ehn?

Well E, its UAE so i guess they can afford to waste that much cash on plates. ain't it sad to see, with the number of kids dying worldwide from hunger etc. i guess that what make the world what it is. :

They got gas...