Number Plate '1 D' Rakes in a Mighty £352,000

Lebanese property developer Nabil Bishara has paid a record £352,000 for a UK private number plate as a birthday present for his wife.

Mr Bishara paid just over an astounding £352,000 for the cherished plate at the DVLA Personalised Registrations auction in Warwickshire.

This sale broke the DVLA's previous record of £254,000, which was paid for the mark 51 NGH in 2006.

With a reserve of £20,000, the highest ever set at one of these events, a notable outcome was expected.

1 D is regarded as one of the most sought-after in the country and was duly expected to be the prize lot in the auction at Ardencote Manor Hotel, Warwickshire. But DVLA auctioneers were blown away by the intensity of the bidding, which saw the price soar.

Mr Bishara finally secured the prestige private plate, with his winning bid of £285,000 (£352,411 with fees and VAT).

"We always expected interest in this registration to be among the highest we've ever had and the pre-auction bids certainly backed that up", said Damian Lawson, DVLA Personalised Registrations Marketing Manager.

He added "But we were still amazed when the bidding went as high as it did and we are absolutely over the moon with the final result."

This figure puts 1 D straight in at an impressive third place in the league of the most expensive UK number plates, just behind S 1 at £404K and F 1, which holds its lead with a colossal total price of £440,625.

In case you are wondering, Mr Bishara put the number on his wife's Bentley.