Personalised DVLA Car Number plates "1 RH" auctioned for £250k
A retired businessman from Surrey paid almost £250,000 for the personalised number plates at an auction.
Rob Harverson, 47, paid a total of £247,652.50 for the registration 1 RH, 30 times more than the reserve price at the DVLA number plates auction in Barnsley.
The multi-millionaire, who already owns 10 private personalised plates, out-bid Richard Harris, a businessman from Skegness.
A DVLA spokesman said they were stunned at the price of one of its last "jewels in the crown".
It was one of 1,600 car registrations being sold at a three-day DVLA auction event at the Tankersley Manor Hotel, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Mr Harverson said: "I came with £150,000 to spend but, in the end, I was just determined to buy 1 RH and nothing was going to stop me.
"Richard made me sweat a little but it is the ultimate registration for me."
The final payment included his winning bid of £197,000 plus auctioneers' commission, VAT and the £80 transfer fee.
Damian Lawson, marketing manager for DVLA Personalised Registrations, said: "I'm absolutely delighted for the agency. The sum 1 RH achieved far exceeded our expectations."
The DVLA Auctions of number plates are held regularly and achieve high sums for many prestigious number plates and car registrations all the time.