Any takers for the 8964 car number plate with a price tag of HK$125,000? Apparently not.
The number plate was removed from a government auction yesterday after no one showed interest in placing bids.
Hundreds of traditional and special car number plates went on auction at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, but the plate that attracted the most attention was 8964 - perhaps a reminder of the events in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
'Everyone wants a car plate that can make them happy. 8964 is too politically sensitive. It is such a heavy historical burden that no one wants to put on the back of their car,' said Ngan Man-hon, owner of Lucky Number Centre, a company that sells special car number plates.
Car owners may reserve traditional car number plates - which do not have alphabetical prefixes - at the Transport Department if they find that the government still owns the plates. The reserved numbers are then put up for auction.
It is not known who reserved the 8964 number plate.