GO plate Goes for a Cool £94,183

From a modest £10,000 reserve, the latest of the 'O' series of registrations went for a whopping £94,183 on the final day of the latest DVLA auction.

The number plate, 9 O, fulfilled expectations and stole the show at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium. It did have a lot to live up to, bearing in mind previous results for the other numbers in the series, which have been sold at successive auctions since January last year.

Naturally, the elusive 1 O generated the most interest when it sold for more than £210,000 back in January last year. But its siblings have all commanded excellent prices. 5 0, for example, sold for nearly £88,000 last March. The popularity of this number could be related to its similarity to the word 'So' - the digit '5' looking, to all intents and purposes, identical to a letter 'S'.

The same reason is likely to explain the desirability of 6 0 and 9 0 - both passable versions of 'Go'. For some reason, the interim numbers 7 O and 8 O have so far been held back, although the former will feature as the highlight of the next government sponsored auction catalougue.

Among other registrations snapped-up at the Premier League club's prestigious venue were: 2 000 (£31,911), and 1 RRH (£25,974). One punter either planning a romantic gesture or demonstrating an unhealthy obsession with their vehicle, acquired the superb BE10 VED for £8,922.

A rumour, mischievously circulated and supported by a national newspaper story, that a consortium of football fans were prepared to pay up to £10,000 for UTD 805S and donate it to United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, was scotched when the plate went for a modest £3,237 to a Birmingham car dealer.

"I came up here hoping and expecting to battle against Sir Alex himself." said purchaser, Thar Khan. "To me, UTD 805S has to be the ultimate plate for any United supporter and I've bought it for a snip. It's a great investment."

The next DVLA auction is scheduled for 2-4 June at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire.

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