One thing that has always been very encouraging to us is the fact that many of the UK's most astute and successful business people see the appeal of personal car registrations. From our many interviews with millionaires, CEOs and business owners, it is clear that the people with whom we have spoken appreciate not just the investment value of private plates, but also the sheer enjoyment they can provide.
Many business owners have also discovered the power of private number plates as a marketing tool. Some have acquired plates that represent their companies' branding, while others have furnished entire corporate fleets with plates that make reference to their business's field of expertise.
Below you'll find just a few of the successful figures who have acquired some fantastic private number plates. In many cases, they also have a range of impressive cars upon which to display them.
Alan Sugar, Baron Sugar
From working in a greengrocer's shop as a teenager and then selling car accessories from a van, Alan Michael Sugar has become, arguably, the UK's most famous businessman. His appearance on the business-themed reality TV show The Apprentice has cemented his status as a household name.
Generally addressed as Lord Sugar, he has built a reputation as a somewhat irascible figure who doesn't suffer fools gladly and who is never afraid to speak his mind.
The business venture for which Sugar is still best-known is Amstrad, which he started in 1968 with £100. Amstrad became a hugely successful consumer electronics business, and was sold in 2007 for £125 million. The name Amstrad was derived from Sugar's initials and the beginning of the word "trading".
Lord Sugar's AMS 1 number plate has become almost as famous as the man himself, thanks to its appearances on Sugar's Rolls-Royce Phantom in the opening credits of The Apprentice.
Lord Sugar loves his cars. Here are just a few of the notable cars he has owned.
-
Roll-Royce Silver Seraph
We've already mentioned Lord Sugar's famous Rolls-Royce Phantom, but that is by no means the extent of his love for the luxury brand. A predecessor to Sugar's Phantom, the Silver Seraph was used in the first series of The Apprentice, at which time it displayed the AMS 1 plates. The car was originally registered to Lord Sugar's Amstrad company but it was later transferred into his name.
The car was sold at a Bonhams auction in 2018. Photos published at the time show the car bearing the number plates S821 ORV, but it is unclear whether the car had this number while it was owned by Lord Sugar. Apparently the sale also included the car's original AMS 1 plates, but only the physical plates, not the entitlement to display them. Lord Sugar had, by that time, already transferred his personal number from the car.
-
Rolls-Royce Ghost
Sugar has owned a number of Rollers over the years, including several Ghost models.
-
A 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Sport Saloon previously owned by Sir Elton John.
Elton once called the Bentley the most beautiful car ever designed. Photographs of Lord Sugar with the Continental show it displaying the registration number 490 JLC. Sugar sold the car after owning it for 25 years.
-
David Brown Speedback Silverstone Edition
In 2019, Lord Sugar posted a picture of the car online, sporting the number plate FF 111 and said, "This is a NEW car. Old Aston body design but with Jaguar parts under the hood.”
-
AC Cobra (apparently a replica)
In January 2022, Sugar posted a video on Instagram showing the car bearing Florida license plate DCH7178.
-
Corvette C8
When he posted a picture on Instagram showing his new Corvette C8, the photo also included Sugar's purple Cirrus light aeroplane. The Corvette was painted in a matching purple, which prompted mixed opinions in the comments.
TV Dragons Theo Paphitis, James Caan, Duncan Bannatyne
The BBC TV show Dragons' Den is infamous, like Lord Sugar's The Apprentice, for giving people a rough ride if their business abilities seem in any way lacking. The panellists, of whom there have been more than 20 in total, have all been successful entrepreneurs in a range of fields. They are people with a sharp eye for a profit and a demonstrated aversion to wasting their time or money.
So far, four dragons have appeared as interview guests in the pages of our magazine, The World of Personal Number Plates.
Duncan Bannatyne
We published our interview with Duncan in 2008. At the time we spoke to him, he was driving a very nice Mercedes bearing the number 23 D. We asked Duncan about his interest in private plates and, as one of the more iconic dragons, he was surprisingly willing to open up on the topic.
“I started buying a few plates at auction just for something to do. Actually, one of the big things in those days was that it was very easy to see how old the car was by looking at the number plate. You would change your car every two or three years because people could see it was a few years old. We worked out that if you bought a number plate that hid the age it was cheaper than buying a car [laughs].
“I didn’t get 23 D from auction though, that was a present from my first wife a long time ago. She got it in the ‘90s and I got her G 74 which my oldest daughter uses now. My van, the gym repair van, has F1 TSO on, and I bought 111 JO, for my wife, Joanne. So we have quite a few. There’s also 1 LGO, 5 EBS, 2 BHM, 6 AVS, 52 DB and 50 PAM.”
We asked Duncan if he would ever sell his private number plates. Of course, he gave a businessman's answer. "Oh yeah, they’re all on the market. I had 8 DWB on my Chrysler, I think I’ve sold that now. And I’ve sold 33 PAM, 99 DB, KPS 3, V8 BMW, 44 DB, RAC 5, NAC 1, and 4 GGY. I’d consider buying more, but the price would have to be right. I’ve made a bit of money on them.”
Theo Paphitis
Theo Paphitis is somewhat less willing than Duncan Bannatyne to sell his favourite private plates. He told Regtransfers, “No, I never sell. I’ve collected them for 15 years and when I find one I like then I’ll buy it. Of course, then I have to buy another car to put it on!”
Stationery company Ryman played a big role in Paphitis’ rise to business success. One of the private plates most associated with him is RYM 4N. The plate appeared on the Maybach car that Theo had wrapped one year to help promote Red Nose Day. Another company associated with Paphitis was La Senza. When he acquired the UK and Ireland franchise of the Canadian lingerie business, Theo bought another business-themed registration. LA53 NZA went on a car driven by his daughter, Zoe. Zoe was a model for La Senza and, when Theo sold the company, Zoe kept her personal plates.
Not all of his number plates have been business-themed. He bought DEB 131E for his wife and T1 HEO for himself. When it came to his son, Alex, Theo bought him a personal plate for Christmas.
"I managed to find W411 KER," Theo told us when we interviewed him. "But for some reason he’s not enamoured with it. I can’t imagine why."
James Caan
James Caan is known for his success in the field of recruitment. He joined the Dragons' Den panel in 2007 and stayed with the show until 2010. He is a lover of classy, luxury car brands, such as Mercedes, Rolls-Royce and Maybach. James also appreciates good personal car registrations.
“The first number plate I bought must have been in 1979, I think. My Rolls-Royce Phantom has got 28 JC and I’ve got a Maybach that has C4 ANS on it.”
James's wife and daughters are also private number plate converts.
Rodger Dudding
Rodger has appeared in our magazine, The World of Personal Number Plates, a couple of times. Rodger's entrepreneurial journey has been a varied and esoteric one. Rodger's first notable business success came when he introduced the "take a ticket" style queue management systems to the UK. He got the idea when he saw customers in a Swedish shop being given numbered tags to show their place in line. Rather than tags that would be repeatedly passed back and forth between staff and customers, Rodger thought that disposable paper tickets would be a much more hygienic option. The idea caught on quickly, and the distinctive roll ticket dispensers became a familiar sight in shops across Britain.
Rodger's other early success was the acquisition of lockup garages. Initially, he just bought a handful of garages in London. Before long, the revenue from the venture convinced Rodger of the business potential and he started acquiring more lockups. Over time, that handful of London garages became an empire comprising tens of thousands of the lucrative little properties.
The culmination of Rodger's lockup garage business eventually took the shape of Studio 434, a large facility in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. Studio 434 has, for many years, been home to Rodger's vast personal car collection. It also exists to provide a secure, specialist storage space for clients seeking a safe haven for their precious classics and supercars. The ultimate lockup garage! The size of Rodger's collection, and the demand from car owners seeking top-notch car storage, meant that the original premises had to be expanded. Studio 434 now comprises two huge, purpose-built warehouses. The 40,000 square feet of Studio 434/1 house Rodger's collection, while Studio 434/2, contains 200,000 square feet devoted to keeping clients' vehicles safe. In addition to storage space, the site provides car hire and media production studios for the film and TV industries.
Rodger's own car and motorcycle collection reportedly consists of about 450 vehicles. Just a few of the highlights include:
-
24 variants of the legendary Aston Martin Lagonda
-
Bentley Azure (2000)
This imposing car is powered by a 6.75-litre V8 engine. A fine example of classic British luxury styling. The Azure bears the registration number X78 BHK.
-
Jaguar XJ220, registration number M436 RVS
The XJ220 can accelerate from a standing start to 60mph in 3.6 seconds. It also has a top speed of well over 200mph. Only 274 of this model were made.
-
Reliant Scimitar GTE (1973 SE5A)
A powerful, 3-litre Ford V6 engine ensures that the Scimitar GTE offers both comfort and performance. This one bears the registration XBV 631M.
-
Toyota Supra (1989-1992)
A pristine example boasting a 2954cc straight-six engine and a top speed of 142mph. Rodger's Supra displays registration H29 AMM.
-
Bristol Beaufighter, registration number E536 AGJ
When this eccentric car was introduced in 1982, it was reputedly the fastest four-seater in the world, with a top speed over 150mph. Only about 20 of this model were made. Although the car and the Bristol brand were both British, the Beaufighter was designed by Italian coachbuilders Zagato.
-
Ford Capri (1984 Capri Mk3 2.0 S), registration number A621 SYN
A nice example of the sporty production coupe. There were many variations of the iconic Capri. Rodger's is a 2-litre model.
Ford has revived the Capri name in a new line of sporty EVs that present many styling features inspired by the original.
Despite owning so many cars, many of them very rare and/or expensive, Rodger's most beloved vehicle is startlingly modest. He told Regtransfers, “It has to be my late father’s split-windscreen Morris Minor with its 803 cc engine. Father bought it in 1952 and, on his demise, it came to me.”
Rodger has owned countless private registrations in addition to the numbers borne by the vehicles in his collection. He has several DHL combinations, including DHL 1, DHL 2 (on one of his Aston Martin Lagondas) and DHL 3, et cetera. The DHL is a reference to Dudrich (Holdings) Limited, one of Rodger's many business interests.
One interesting pair that he acquired from Regtransfers, 8888 RD and 8888 EM, were purchased primarily for the repetition of the number 8. Rodger has many dealings with the Chinese community in the UK, and the number 8 is considered a very lucky number by Chinese people and a number of other Asian cultures as well. Repetition of the number is considered even more lucky.
An astute investment
None of the people mentioned here made their fortunes by wasting money. Many of them not only buy private registrations for their own use, but also as assets to be bought and subsequently sold at a profit. That doesn't surprise us: the personal registrations market has consistently proven very robust over the last few decades, despite some very turbulent economic times. Values continue to rise, record prices are still being paid.
Regtransfers doesn't only supply personal plates to individual business people; we often furnish entire corporate vehicle fleets with themed number plates that either reinforce a company's branding or that send a message about what the company does. Not only an asset, number plates can also be a fantastic promotional tool.
