This wasn’t an ordinary auction; it was a bidding war. Forty-five applicants were vying for this one number. The bid hit ₹88 lakh by noon before finally settling at the mind-boggling ₹1.17 crore at the 5 pm Wednesday deadline.
What Makes HR88B8888 Worth a Crore?
It’s all about the visual illusion and numerology.
HR: Haryana State Code.
88: The specific Regional Transport Office (RTO) code (Kundli in Sonipat district or Badhra subdivision, depending on the report).
B: The vehicle series code.
8888: The unique four-digit number.
Here’s the kicker: when written on the plate, the capital letter ‘B’ closely resembles the number ‘8’. So, the entire sequence appears to be a string of eights, which is highly sought after for perceived status and luck.
The Buyer (The Plot Twist)
The winning bidder is identified as Sudhir Kumar, a businessman from Hisar, Haryana, involved in the transport and software sector.
The real twist? Kumar reportedly admitted that he hasn’t even purchased the car to put the number on yet. He just liked the number and kept bidding, without a fixed budget. He has five days to deposit the full amount; if he doesn’t, that initial security deposit is forfeited, and the number goes back up for auction. Imagine paying ₹1.17 crore for a number before you even have the vehicle.
This obsession with ‘VIP’ numbers is clearly reaching new financial heights in India.
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