Chinese fortune-telling and fortune go hand-in-hand. This is why it makes sense that someone would pay a whopping $3.2 million at a Hong Kong auction for a lucky car number plate. The license plate in question flaunts only the letter “R” and went under the hammer as the second-highest sum paid for a number plate in the city at a Lunar New Year auction organized by the Hong Kong Transport Department.
The license plate with the letter “W” continues to maintain the top spot after selling for HK$26 million ($3.3 million) in 2021. The registration plate was one of 49 with one of the most thrilling bidding wars. Bidding started at HK$5,000 ($650), and a dozen buyers raised the price quickly. One bidder offered HK$2 million, but the price soon jumped to HK$9 million, then HK$9.4 million.
Sixty rounds later, the hammer went down at HK$25.5 million one final time. Per SCMP, the letter ‘R’ is associated with racing cars and an auspicious number in Chinese fortune-telling, which explains why the license plate went for 5100 times the reserve price. The most expensive number sold for a staggering $9 million by Abu Sabah, aka Balvinder Sahni, one of Dubai’s many billionaires. Interestingly the tycoon splurged $9 million over the number plate of a car worth $800,000. The heart clearly wants what it wants!
