It’s D-day at DVLA auction

A-list celebrities will almost certainly have to do battle with some of the country’s leading investors… if they want the “ultimate” D registration for their car.

1 D – regarded as the supreme D-registration in the land - is heading 1,600 registrations during a three-day DVLA Personalised Registrations auction being staged at the Ardencote Manor Hotel in Warwickshire, on March 25-27.

While high-value registrations are normally associated with the rich and famous, recent times have shown businessmen and women are investing their money into the high-end of the personalised registration market.

During DVLA’s January auction, 1 O, 1 HRH and 3 S fetched more than £418,000 while 6 B and 1 RH went for £130,000 and £247,000 respectively at the final two events of 2008. All were bought by businessmen saying their purchases were investments.

While all eyes will be on 1 D on the first day of the event, 2 O will go under the hammer at precisely 8.50am on the final day and it too is likely to fetch a significant sum.

Damian Lawson, DVLA Personalised Registrations’ Marketing Manager, said: “The interest in personalised registrations is immense, I have no doubt we’ll experience another bidding frenzy at Ardencote similar to the one we experienced in January.

“From the level of interest already surrounding 1 D and 2 O, I am confident we could have some further additions to our Top 10 league table of sales.”

The agency will be using its six auctions of the year to sell its O-series of private plates; it commenced with 1 O in January, 2 O features at Ardencote Manor followed by 3 O in June, 4 O in August, 5 O in October and 6 O in December.

The auction consists of an eclectic mix of personalised registrations to suit all car owners and motorists of all tastes including ALV 111N (reserve £400), APE 9 (£1900), B4 LLS (£1,200), COR 55A (£400), CUP 111D (£500), ECO 555E (£900), FLO 555Y (£900), FUN 70Y (£400), 13 GAV (£1,900), GOA 11E (£400), G411 AXY (£350), HU57 LER (£1,000), MAD 70Y (£400), OLD 70M (£400), OLD 800T (£350), PAS 554T (£350), RUG 13Y (£400), TEA 880Y (£500), 515 TER (£1,900), UGG 800T (£300).