Auction to put millions on a plate for bling motorists
IF you’re looking for a bit more bling for your car, head to Sandton next week for an auction at which customised Gauteng licence plates will go under the hammer.
But be sure to stop off at the bank first, as the eight plates — ranging from 1 GP to 8 GP — are expected to fetch R2-million in total.
The plates are part of an anonymous businessman’s collection and will be sold off to the highest bidder, with 1 GP expected to rake in R1-million, said Stephan Welz & Co consultant Jack Rosewitz.
The plate 9 GP — which is not going on auction — is owned by former Springbok scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen, who played in the number 9 jersey.
Rosewitz said South Africa was following international trends in which personalised number plates had become prized possessions, with growing status, social and investment value.
The world record price for a number plate was set in Hong Kong in 1994 when a plate with only the number 8 on it sold for $1million (about R14-million). In the UK in 1989, the plate KINGS sold for £231 000 (about R4.2-million) and in the same year RR 1 sold for £75 000.
Rosewitz said customised number plates in South Africa were becoming collectables.
Three years ago, a Ferrari 1 plate fetched R1-million on auction in Johannesburg and in Cape Town in 2012 a CA 3 plate went under the hammer for R378 000.
He said single-digit number plates were popular among owners of luxury cars such as Ferraris, McLarens, Porsches, Jaguars and Mercedeses.
“Before the introduction of Gauteng province [GP] plates, the number 1 plate usually belonged to a mayoral car. For the City of Johannesburg’s mayor we had JHB 1, CB 1 for the Port Elizabeth mayor, CA 1 for the Cape Town mayor — but all those plates are now worthless,” said Rosewitz.
Personalised number plates were introduced in South Africa one province at a time, starting with KwaZulu-Natal in 1995.
In June 2000, the National Traffic Information System allowed Gauteng motorists to sport a unique message on their vehicle number plates.
Zama Ndlovu, MD of Letlapa Plates, which is the marketing agent for personalised registration plates in Gauteng, said the first prominent figures to have special registration numbers in the 1990s included former president Nelson Mandela with 001 NRM GP, talkshow host Felicia Mabuza-Suttle (SUBTLE GP), Springbok cricketers Jacques Kallis (KALLIS WP) and Paul Adams (GOGGA GP), former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Brian Baloyi (COOOOL GP) and Somizi Mhlongo (PUMAKIM GP).
Ndlovu said they had turned down an order for SEXPO GP plates from the organisers of the adult lifestyle exhibition as it was deemed unsuitable for public display by the eNatis system.
Some of the creative names that the company has done so far include, NICE NEH GP, 0000 GP, GUPTAS GP, 2TH DR GP.
The plates will be auctioned on Tuesday.