Khaleej Times

Emirati businessma­n owns AA10 for Dh3.12M

- Angel Tesorero

dubai — EmIrAtI BusInEssmA­n MAJID MustAFA Is now tHE prouD ownEr oF tHE DIstInCtIv­E DuBAI CAr plAtE numBEr AA10 AFtEr postInG tHE wInnInG BID oF DH3.12mIllIon DurInG tHE RoADs AnD TrAnsport AutHorIty’s (RTA) 97tH opEn AuCtIon on SAturDAy.

THE RTA’s yEAr-EnD AuCtIon, wHICH rAIsED A totAl oF DH12.75mIllIon, sAw nInE otHEr AA CoDE plAtEs, InCluDInG 12, 50, 100, 333, 786, 1000, 8888, 11111, AnD 55555 GoInG unDEr tHE HAmmEr.

In An ExClusIvE IntErvIEw wItH Khaleej Times AFtEr tHE BIDDInG, MustAFA sAID HE wIll kEEp AA10 For HIs pErsonAl usE AnD wIll mount It on onE oF HIs CArs.

MustAFA, wHo HAs BEEn pArtICIpAt­InG In RTA AuCtIons sInCE 2002, sAID HE HAs ownED morE tHAn 1,000 spECIAl plAtEs, mAny oF wHICH HE HAs trADED AnD GAInED profitABlE mArGIns. THE most ExpEnsIvE plAtE HE HAs ACquIrED to DAtE wAs I10, wHICH HE Got For DH6mIllIon.

THE sEConD most ExpEnsIvE plAtE on SAturDAy wEnt to EssA Al HABBAI wHo GrABBED AA12 For DH2.72mIllIon. AnotHEr EmIrAtI won tHE BIDDInG For tHE tHIrD most ExpEnsIvE plAtE AA50, prICED At DH1.84mIllIon, wHIlE 44-yEAr-olD LEBAnEsE ExpAt ZAHErCHAfi­E ACquIrED AA11111 For DH1.21mIllIon.

AnotHEr EmIrAtI BusInEssmA­n, 32-yEAr-olD JABEr KHAmIs Got HIs HAnDs on AA333 For DH700,000. “I wIll mount It on my LAmBorGHIn­I But I mIGHt Also sEll It IF I finD tHE rIGHt BuyEr wHo wIll offEr A rEAlly GooD prICE,” HE tolD Khaleej Times.

New design unveiled

At tHE AuCtIon, tHE RTA Also unvEIlED A nEw DEsIGn For DuBAI CAr plAtEs, wHICH BEAr tHE DuBAI BrAnD loGo AnD tHE lEttErs AnD DIGIts prIntED In BlACk on wHItE BACkGrounD. AHmED BAHrozyAn, CEO oF tHE RTA’s lICEnsInG AGEnCy, sAID tHE RTA wIll stArt rEplACInG tHE ExIstInG plAtEs oF lIGHt vEHIClEs By tHE nEwly DEsIGnED plAtEs wItH two-lEttEr CoDEs From FEBruAry 2018. “But tHE ownErs wIll EnJoy ExClusIvIt­y oF tHE two-lEttEr CoDEs For onE yEAr. WE’vE only IntroDuCED 10 spECIAl numBErs wItH AA CoDEs AnD tHEy wIll not BE solD For onE yEAr to EnsurE ExClusIvIt­y to tHosE wHo BouGHt tHEsE DIstInGuIs­HED plAtEs,” HE sAID.

angel@khaleejtim­es.com

 ?? Photos by Neeraj Murali ?? Majid Mustafa during the Roads and Transport Authority’s 97th open auction in Dubai on Saturday. —
Photos by Neeraj Murali Majid Mustafa during the Roads and Transport Authority’s 97th open auction in Dubai on Saturday. —
 ??  ?? Zaher Chafie, a Lebanese national, who purchased AA 11111 for Dh 1.21million during the number plate auction in Dubai.
Zaher Chafie, a Lebanese national, who purchased AA 11111 for Dh 1.21million during the number plate auction in Dubai.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Arab Emirates