'AU 1' made famous by Goldfinger goes on sale
Choose your next numberplate carefully, Mr Bond - it may be your last
Shocking, positively shocking. ‘AU 1’, the numberplate made famous for its association with the James Bond franchise (it appears on Auric Goldfinger’s Rolls-Royce Phantom III), is up for sale, and expected to fetch ‘in excess of £300,000’ according to the number plate dealer charged with finding a buyer.
Primo Registrations suggests it’s an opportunity ‘for someone to own a piece of film history’ - although based on the 59 years that have elapsed since Goldfinger premiered in cinemas, you might have to jog the memory of anyone under the age of 40 if you’re keen for the connection to be explicit. That doesn’t mean the enduring appeal of Bond as an ‘iconic cinematic reference’ won’t help to shift ‘AU 1’ (being the periodic symbol for gold ought to help, too) but it’s safe to say the numberplate would already be worth its weight in the stuff regardless.
And that’s because personalised plates remain big business - certainly big enough for their investment potential to be a consideration. In those terms, shorter generally equals better, with two-letter and one-number derivatives often ranking among the most highly sought-after. That includes ’25 O’, still the UK record-breaker after it fetched more than half a million quid back in 2014 (because Ferrari 250 GTO).
While Primo Registrations clearly doesn’t expect ‘AU 1’ to reach those heights, its managing director, Peter Johnson, reckons there’s plenty of reason to be excited: “The last time ‘AU 1’ sold, it realised a huge return on investment for its then-owner, and we anticipate the trend will only continue, especially with shorter plates. We can’t wait to see where this one will go in the future – maybe it’ll go onto another Rolls-Royce!” Just not gold-plated one. Unless you’ve got the industrial laser to match.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
TX.
But then where do you stop? Maybe a higher tax on homes bought by overseas investors as assets and don't live in them?
Bigger packets of crisps?
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
Those who are wealthy enough to buy expensive plates outright usually earn enough that they're already contributing more to the system via tax than many earn. These people are already net contributors and shouldn't be taxed more heavily because they've got themselves into a position where they can afford expensive things.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
Anyway, I wonder if this will get near that price. Seems a big jump from what it previously sold at which was during the peak of the Daniel Craig era Bond when interest was surely at an all time high. Still a valuable plate without the Bond connection though.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
I see 'F 1' is still for sale @ £10m! I remember it being advertised for £250k or so before I joined PH
You can't single out plates either, because once the plate is on the second-hand market, what's the difference between spending £300k on a plate or spending £300k on a painting, a piece of art, a classic car, some rare instrument etc.? It's basically saying that anyone who is wealthy should be paying to solve the problems of the country, when it's already the government's job to do that. It's not the responsibility of wealthy individuals. IMO.
By all means, people can choose to be philanthropic, but wealthy people shouldn't be financially punished for simply being wealthy, if they choose to enjoy their wealth in some way.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
In a country where 1in 5 people are at or below the poverty line, how about taxing ego car plates? If you can spend money on buying a plate just to stroke your ego, you can afford to contribute to mitigating some of your country's problems. The fewer positions your ego plate has, the more tax you pay. Just two positions? 10x road tax. Three positions: 5x road tax, and so on.
It could be an ego stroking thing in itself: have a short registration, show people you're really doing well, not just for yourself, but also for the country.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff