Abu Dhabi licence plate No 1 sold for record Rs 55 crore

Dubai, Feb 17 (UNI) A UAE businessman bid and bought a car licence plate No 1 in Abu Dhabi for a whopping 52.2 million dirhams (Rs 55 crore), apparently a world record for being the most expensive so far.

Saeed Al Khouri, 25, won the number plate after a furious contest in the final stages of the auction conducted at the Emirates Palace hotel yesterday.

He broke the record by paying more than double the previous record which went to plate No 5 that sold for 25.2 million dirhams and is owned by his cousin Talal Ali Mohammad Khouri, also a prominent businessman, the Gulf News said.

Auctioning special licence plate numbers is big business for the government in the UAE as businessmen vie for unique numbers that stand out.

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