Legendary number plate made famous by James Bond's Goldfinger on sale for £300,000
The plate could provide a good return on investment according to experts
PRIMO REGISTRATIONS/PA
Drivers are being urged to register their interest in a legendary James Bond number plate, which could sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Fans of the James Bond film franchise could get their hands on the classic “AU 1” number plate, with bids starting at £300,000.
The licence plate was made popular on the vintage Rolls-Royce owned by notorious James Bond villain Auric Goldfinger in the 1964 film.
The exclusive personalised number plate has long been associated with Academy Award-winning Goldfinger, with Hollywood fans and petrolheads able to have a piece of motoring and film history.
The AU represents Auric Goldfinger's love of gold
PRIMO REGISTRATIONS
Currently, the price is set at £299,999.99, with drivers required to also pay the compulsory DVLA transfer fee, at a cost of £80.
Other measures, including the secure legal transfer, documentation and delivery of the plate, are handled by the seller, Primo Registrations.
The number plate denotes Goldfinger’s affinity for gold, with “AU” being the chemical symbol for gold.
The film has since become one of the most recognisable iterations of the 007 film franchise featuring the now-legendary quote: “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.”
It also helped the film series reach new heights, with Goldfinger becoming the fastest-grossing film of all time, breaking box office records around the world at the time.
Peter Johnson, managing director of Primo Registrations, expressed his enthusiasm for the “AU 1” registration, saying it could produce a “huge return on investment”.
He said: "As iconic number plates go, this one has to be right up there with one of the best, not least of all because of the plate’s association with the famed car used by Goldfinger and Oddjob to smuggle gold out of the country.
“It’s also nothing new that short number plates are fast becoming increasingly popular, not only because of their aesthetically pleasing stature on any vehicle but because of their investment potential, too.”
The “AU 1” number plate could also act as an investment for some drivers, with other two-letter, one-number registrations ranging from £100,000 to £500,000.
Because it does not have an age identifier, the number plate can go on a vehicle of any age.
The total price listed also includes VAT and the transfer fee, guaranteeing new owners a stress-free experience when purchasing the historic plate.
Peter Johnson added: “The last time ‘AU 1’ sold, it realised a huge return on investment for its then-owner, and we anticipate the trend will only continue, especially with shorter plates.
“We can’t wait to see where this one will go in the future – maybe it’ll go onto another Rolls-Royce.”
In comparison, the most expensive number plate ever sold at a DVLA auction was “25 0”, which went under the hammer for a staggering £400,000.
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The auction starts at £300,000
PRIMO REGISTRATIONS
This plate also had sentimental value, with the registration referencing the owner’s love for the Ferrari 250 GTO.