Ten DVLA personalised number plates available to buy at auction
 A list of the quirkiest number plates which are available to buy.
Bishop’s Stortford has been the setting over the past few days for one of the most unusual sales of car memorabilia to take place.
It is here that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is auctioning off personalised registration number plates;some quite funny, some embarrassing and occasionally some brilliant.
Here then in no particular order are ten personalised number plates which are available to buy, with some of them expected to sell for a lot more than their original reserved price.
 Starting at a reserve cost of £400 is the number plate ’00H 848Y’, which is meant to spell out ‘Ooh Baby’. Potential buyers of this number plate may include modern day Lotharios, Britney Spears fans or even for those of an older persuasion, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles fans (if the errant ‘H’ is ignored).
Drivers of a car geared more to style such as the BMW 3 Series Convertible may feel more comfortable driving around in a car with this number plate as opposed to a driver who owns a Bentley or Jaguar. Quite why anybody would feel the need to pay for this particular number plate unless they were trying to be ironic is a mystery.
 The next number plate is possibly aimed narrowly at one type of market, people who have the name or nickname of Bob. Spelt as ’0NE 808′ by the DVLA, the number plate is most likely to be bought by some egotistical individual who wishes to make an entrance when they pull up their car, whether it be at work, a friend’s house or if enjoying a night out.
Naturally it could be that the number plate is wanted as a homage to a driver’s hero, such as Bob Dylan, Bob Marley or even Spongebob Squarepants. This particular number plate could be suitable with almost any car, whether it be an Abarth 500 Convertible or a Chrysler Grand Voyager MPV.
 If any professional member is likely to want to gain one-upmanship over their rivals, it is likely that the profession will be the field of law. Junior lawyers or newly qualified lawyers will be able to cruise around in their Mercedes-Benz C Class with ‘LAW 80Y’ (Law Boy) displayed prominently below the bonnet and the boot of the vehicle.
That may be a little stereotypical but with a reserve price of £500 there will be plenty of lawyers who may be tempted to take up the offer of owning a number plate which describes one of the toughest jobs in the business.
 Naturally lawyers who have been practising their trade for many years may not be too interested in the ‘LAW 80Y’ number plate. They may however like the ‘LAW 805S’ number plate, if they are actually running their own firm. For an initial reservation price of £400 the deal could be a bargain for high class and high powered lawyers who actually run or are partners in a firm.
The number plate is the type which would suit a Bentley Mulsanne Saloon or a Jaguar XK Coupe which offer lawyers a smart professional image for their work appearance but also suits lawyers driving to the gymnasium or golf course when they are taking a break from their profession.
 It may be assumed that the next number plate is for either Londoners or possibly Dunfermline Athletic supporters. Spelling out ‘EA57 END’ (East End) the term may relate to fans of the Pars who play at East End Park. However, the most obvious thought when seeing this number plate is that of the east end of London.
While it would be wrong to break into stereotypes, there are images which are conjured up of what drivers look like with this number plate. They may well be proficient in cockney-rhyming slang, like eating jellied eels and driving a Ford Galaxy MPV – although it may not be wise to drive around with that personalised number plate if they are a West Ham fan visiting Leeds.
 Staying with the London theme and one of the most eagerly awaited personalised number plates available to buy is ‘DE11 B0Y’ for a cool £3,000. Named after Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter, the lead character in BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, the number plate is sure to attract interest from buyers who are fans of the series.
With Only Fools and Horses memorabilia collectors possibly owning vehicles from the show as well, it is very likely that the winning bidder for the Del Boy number plate owns either the Capri Ghia or the Reliant Robin van. Either way or, the number plate could be one of the few which increases in value after its auction.
 The next number plate is a personalised number plate for a car more than it is for a vehicle owner. Owners of Honda’s mid-engined NSX sports cars may be delighted to learn that the number plate ‘II NSX’ is going under the hammer. The two door coupe offered the driver four speed automatic transmission, five speed manual transmission or six speed manual transmission when it was constructed between 1990-2005.
Honda’s NSX was one of the forgotten sports cars which is a shame for a motor which could race from 0-60 miles per hour in 5.03 seconds powered on by 270 brake horse power. Exclusively built in Japan, the car was only ever constructed on two sites, in a Tochigi plant before relocating to a Suzuka factory for its last year of production.
 Possibly the most expensive sale at the auction will be the ’36 O’ number plate, part of the DVLA’s ‘O’ series of plates. The ‘O’ series has proved incredibly popular with buyers since the DVLA first launched them last year to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The number plate has a reserve price of £10,000 but experts predict it could sell for many times more than advertised.
Motorists who drive super cars such as the Lotus Elise Convertible may find that the simplistic yet exclusive number plate appeals to them. The Elise Convertible can reach a top speed of 127 miles per hour and and can go from 0-60 miles per hour in six seconds, making it an enjoyable cruise for drivers taking a spin at weekends.
 The penultimate personalised number plate is ‘CLU 88ER’. Spelling out CLUBBER,which may appeal to golfers, motorists who also like their night life and fans of either Mr T or the Rocky films. What better way to show off a side of your personality which people may not know too much about than by driving with this personalised number plate?
It is the type of number plate which would go well with almost any of the Mini cars for people who class themselves as party animals. Golf lovers who want the number plate may find that it looks better on an estate or 4×4 vehicle as opposed to a saloon. It is maybe a dream too far to ponder whether the winning bidder has the black A Team van to screw this number plate to.
Finally and with a reserve price of £1500 comes ‘C010 GNE’ which is ideal for anyone who likes the perfume. It could technically be bought by fans of the German city or football club, even if Cologne in Germany is written as ‘Koln’. There is no guarantee that the number plate will ensure that your vehicle smells better but it may well last longer than a bottle of aftershave does.
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