Formula 1 Inspired ‘1F’ Sells For $1.2 Million To Become UK’s Most Expensive Number Plate

F1 spelt backwards : ‘1F’ sells for $1 million at RM Sotheby’s auction, becomes UK’s most expensive number plate.

First issued in the Essex area in 1957, this 2 character number plate has previously been used on a Ferrari 812 GTS.

Price of ‘1F’ trails the staggering $15 million for a number ‘P7’ during charity auction held in oil rich Dubai in 2023.

Other top seller at the RM Sotheby’s auction is the ‘EB 1’, which sold for £172,500 and evokes the initials of the great Ettore Bugatti.

A classic ‘1F’ number plate just sold for a whopping £800,000 (£926,000 or $1.2 million) inclusive of fees and VAT) at the RM Sotheby’s London 2025 auction on November 1st, making it UK’s most expensive registration plate of all time.

First issued in the Essex area in 1957, this special 2 character registration number plate has previously been applied on exotic cars, including a Ferrari 812 GTS convertible pictured below.

Photo Credit : Andrew Stockton/Facebook

• See Also : Check Out The Official Bulletproof Vehicles That Ferries Nigerian Service Chiefs

Photo Credit : Andrew Stockton/Facebook

“It now represents an outstanding opportunity for collectors to give their car an instant identity,” RM Sotheby’s said before crossing the auction block and fetching the record price.

The ‘F’ in the ‘1F’ is a nod to the Formula 1. According to RM Sotheby’s, this special number can be said to be ‘F1’ when spelled backwards, the latter which sold for a record-breaking price of £440,625 in 2008 and now carries an asking price of over £11,500,000 (about $15 million).

But the price paid by an anonymous Internet bidder to own the ‘1F’ still trails the staggering Dh55 million ($15 million) for a number ‘P7’ during the ‘Most Noble Number’ charity auction held in oil rich Dubai, in United Arab Emirates in 2023.

Other top sellers at the RM Sotheby’s London 2025 auction includes ‘WTF 1’, which fetched £92,000 and the ‘EB 1’, which sold for £172,500 and evokes the initials of the great Ettore Bugatti and ideal for fitment to an EB110 or any other Bugatti.

• See Also : “Best Investment I Ever Made” : Kahn’s ‘F1’ Number Plate He Bought For £440k In 2008 Now Worth $15m