Super S1 Number Plate Sold at Auction for 397,500

The super S1 number plate - one the UK's oldest registrations - has sold through Bonhams auctioneers for the princely sum of £397,500, breaking the previous world record held by M 1.

The registration far exceeded its estimated sale price of £200,000 to £250,000.

S1's first buyer was Sir John HA MacDonald, Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland, one of the founder members of the RAC. The plate stayed with the family ever since its first purchase in Edinburgh 1903 and was sold by one of Sir MacDonald's descendents, having remained a cherished mark of the family until its sale last week.

Josephine Olley of Bonhams said: "There was a bidding battle between several people on the telephone and a bidder in the room. The bidder who was present eventually secured the lot to a round of applause. We're obviously delighted to have broken the world record yet again."

Similarly expensive registrations to have been bought recently include EC 2, exclusively owned by National Numbers; CEO 1, which was bought for £154,000 via auction site eBay last year; and M 1 - the previous record holder, which was sold through Bonhams for £331,000 in 2006.

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