B25m license plate, B500k car

01 ตุลาคม 2557

A university student has paid 25 million baht for a lucky licence plate for his quite ordinary Nissan Almera.

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Law student Thanapat Tantisevekul shows the licence plate he paid 25 million baht for .(Photos courtesy of the Land Transport Department)

Student pays B25m for 'lucky' licence plate

Amornrat Mahitthirook

The country's most expensive licence plate now belongs to a rich Assumption University student who paid 25 million baht at auction for the right to affix it to his rather ordinary sedan.

The price tag for 1เธเธ 1111 easily broke the previous record of 11 million baht set 11 years ago at the Land Transport Department's auction on March 15.

Department deputy director-general Asathai Ratanadilok na Phuket handed over the plate to Thanapat Tantisevekul on Tuesday.

The department allowed the 19-year-old law student to design the plate himself, and he came up with eight horses galloping along a river with nine gems on the river bed.

A close look at the country's most expensive licence plate, priced at 25 million baht.

The picture printed on the plate portends luck and prosperity for life, Mr Asathai said.

Mr Thanapat said he was delighted to win the auction and felt the plate was ''not that expensive'', given that he had put aside 50 million baht to go up against other bidders.

He said he was determined to own this plate because it has seven ''1s'' in total, because เธ (kor kai) is also the first letter in the Thai alphabet.

His win was not a surprise for his family.

''My family has taken part in auctions for auspicious numbers before, both in Bangkok and Chon Buri. So far we have at least 10 , with the cheapest plate costing 130,000 baht, for 1 เธเธ 5115 , and this is the most expensive yet,'' he said after receiving the pricey plate.

Mr Thanapat's family owns a major real estate business in Chon Buri province. He refused to go into details about it.

Mr Thanapat said he had already been approached to sell it, with an offer of 33 million baht, but he refused. He had already put it on his car, a Nissan Almera.

He said his E CVT model car was not even top of the line and cost him only 498,000 baht – about one fiftieth of the price of the licence plate number.

"All cars, whether cheap or expensive, can have good licence plate numbers," he said.

The money from the auction will be contributed to the Road Safety Fund and other campaigns for safe driving and helping the disabled who are victims of road accidents.

"This auction is historic for me and my family and our contributing to society,'' the licence plate winner said.

The department has more auspicious licence plates for auction in the future – including 2 เธเธ 2222, which will be up for grabs in February – and 9 เธเธ 9999 in the next seven years.