HR88B8888 has become India’s priciest car registration number, selling for Rs 1.17 crore in Haryana’s online VIP auction. The unique number attracted 45 bidders, highlighting the growing trend of affluent buyers seeking exclusive vehicle plates.
New Delhi: India has witnessed yet another record-breaking sale in the world of luxury vehicle registration numbers. The coveted number plate ‘HR88B8888’ has officially become the most expensive car registration number in the country, fetching a staggering Rs 1.17 crore in Haryana’s online VIP number plate auction on Wednesday. The bidding for this unique registration number attracted immense attention, with 45 applications submitted this week alone, reflecting the growing craze for exclusive and numerically significant vehicle plates.
How Haryana Auctions Fancy Number Plates?
Haryana regularly conducts online auctions for VIP and fancy number plates, attracting bidders from across the state and beyond. These auctions begin every Friday at 5 pm, with applications accepted until Monday at 9 am. Once applications are submitted, the bidding process continues online until Wednesday at 5 pm, when the results are officially announced. This week, HR88B8888 emerged as the most sought-after number, drawing fierce competition among multiple bidders.
Bidding Journey of HR88B8888
The auction began with a base price of Rs 50,000, but the intense bidding quickly drove the value upwards. By midday on Wednesday, the registration number had already reached Rs 88 lakh, before finally closing at Rs 1.17 crore. For comparison, last week’s top-sold number, HR22W2222, fetched Rs 37.91 lakh, highlighting the extraordinary premium associated with numerically distinctive plates such as HR88B8888.
Understanding HR88B8888
Every VIP number in India follows a unique coding system:
- HR – The state code, indicating registration in Haryana.
- 88 – Represents the specific Regional Transport Office (RTO) or district within Haryana.
- B – Denotes the vehicle series within that RTO.
- 8888 – The unique four-digit registration number assigned to the vehicle.
The appeal of HR88B8888 lies in its distinctive visual pattern. The repeated eights and the uppercase letter ‘B’, which resembles an eight, make it highly exclusive and symbolically associated with luck and prosperity in numerology.
Kerala Man Purchases Rs 46 Lakh Number Plate
Earlier this year, in April, Kerala witnessed a similar VIP number plate frenzy when tech billionaire Venu Gopalakrishnan purchased “KL 07 DG 0007” for his Lamborghini Urus Performante at Rs 45.99 lakh. The bidding for that number began at Rs 25,000 and quickly escalated. The ‘0007’ sequence, reminiscent of James Bond’s iconic code, added to its desirability and exclusivity, reinforcing the trend of affluent buyers investing in unique vehicle registration numbers.
The Growing Trend of VIP Number Plates
The skyrocketing prices of registration numbers such as HR88B8888 reflect a growing trend in India, where numeric patterns and unique combinations are regarded as status symbols. Collectors, business magnates, and luxury car enthusiasts are increasingly willing to pay extraordinary amounts to secure distinctive plates that signify prestige, luck, and exclusivity.