A NUMBER plate owned by Essex County Council has been sold for £375,000.
Essex County Council said the registration number F1 was sold privately to automotive designer and businessman Afzal Kahn, of Kahn Design Ltd.
The previous record of £331,000 was held by the "M1" plate.
The number plate, which has been for sale for three years, was first registered in 1904 when it belonged to the county surveyor of Essex.
It has remained in the possession of the county council ever since.
Lord Hanningfield, the current leader of the authority, said: "It will be with some sadness that we will be losing this little piece of Essex history but we have sold it at a time when such number plates are reaching very high sale prices on the market and we have reached a deal which breaks all previous records."
The money will be put towards the education and training of young drivers in the county, he added.
Mr Kahn said: "I am privileged to have acquired such a prestigious plate.
"I am extremely happy the money raised from the sale will help improve road safety and through the training of young drivers."
He added: "I look forward to the F1 number plate being placed on the ground-breaking Range Rover Cosworth that we will be launching in the coming weeks."
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