In the United States many people have “vanity plates” created for their cars. In the UAE, the number on your car’s plate is very important. Here the “exclusive number plates” are auctioned off! With the money raised going to support special needs projects and victims of road accidents. How much money can be raised you ask. Well I just learned that the #1 plate recently sold for almost $15 million!!!!!
In the UAE it is prestigious to own a plate with a very low number – anything under 100, or a “cool” number like 1111, 200, 300 …999, even 1122, 5555 etc. Everyone knows that you have paid quite a bit, therefore one is treated differently – a different form of vanity perhaps!
We are constantly looking at the cars with the low or “cool” plate numbers, guessing what they had paid or who they are. I was fascinated when I read an article recently in The National newspaper about these auctions. There was a story of a young man who at the age of 18, was given car by his father with the plate #1110. Now in his 30’s, this man makes sure to attend every plate auction so he can purchase the same plate number when it is reissued! Another man already had the plate #101 and was hoping to purchase the #102 as well. He said “And of course both numbers will go to my two boys..when they are old enough”! A young man in his late 20’s said “With a unique three-digit number, everything changes….You get special treatment, people look at you differently. You are treated like you are something big.” So you can see that this process is very important to them.
I wanted to find out more about these auctions. This is where I learned that the money raised goes to charity. I also learned that the auctions are held at The Emirates Palace Hotel – the most exquisite hotel here in Abu Dhabi! I also found some videos on YouTube that were interesting! Click on the link below and watch the video in the upper left corner. Keep in mind that $1 = 3.65dirhams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj6juEkX47o
Sorry girls, you won’t’ get much with my plate #85669!!
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