The famous VIP vehicle number plate ‘HR88B8888’, which went viral last week for being sold at a hefty price of Rs 1.17 crore in Haryana, will be reauctioned. The winning bidder failed to pay the amount on time. The winning bidder, Sudhir Kumar, Director of Romulus Solutions Private Limited, had successfully won the number plate after two days of intense online bidding.

The sale made it India’s costliest vehicle number plate ever. However, the deadline to deposit the amount of Rs 1.17 crore was set for December 1, 12 pm, and Kumar was unable to complete the payment.

Kumar said that he tried to pay the amount twice on Saturday night but faced a technical glitch. He also revealed that his family is against spending such a large sum on a number plate. He said, “Elderlies in the family feel it is not wise to spend so much on a number plate, while I am in favour of it. We will make a final decision by Monday.” Due to this delay, the authorities have decided to put the number plate up for auction again.

About the Auction 

Haryana conducts online auctions for VIP or fancy number plates every week. Interested buyers can apply for their preferred numbers from Friday 5 pm to Monday 9 am, after which bidding starts online until the results are announced on Wednesday 5 pm. The entire auction happens on the official portal fancy.parivahan.gov.in.

This week, among all the numbers available for bidding, ‘HR88B8888’ received the most attention, with 45 applications submitted. The auction started with a base price of Rs 50,000, which kept increasing minute by minute as bidders competed. Eventually, the number plate reached the record price of Rs 1.17 crore.

What makes HR88B8888 special?

The number plate HR88B8888 has a specific meaning: HR is the state code for Haryana, 88 represents the Regional Transport Office (RTO) or district code, B is the series code within that RTO, and 8888 is the unique four-digit registration number assigned to the vehicle.

The number plate is considered special because the combination of ‘B’ and repeated 8s looks visually like a string of eights, making it unique and highly desirable among collectors and car enthusiasts. Its rarity and appealing pattern contributed to the record-breaking bid, making it the most expensive vehicle number plate in India.