Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said he was granted an audience with Sultan Ibrahim earlier this morning to present the “FF 1 number plate” as a gift.

He added, however, that the Johor ruler offered to pay RM1.2 million for it instead.

“For the record, the payment of RM1.2 million is the highest amount ever collected by the government for a vehicle registration number,” Loke said in a Facebook post.

“This payment brings the total government revenue from the FF series of vehicle registration numbers to RM35.4 million.”

Known for his passion for classic and collectible automobiles, the Johor ruler is no stranger to purchasing unique vehicle registration numbers.

In July 2016, Sultan Ibrahim acquired the F 1 vehicle registration number with a successful bid of RM836,660. A month later, he paid RM990,000 for the V 1 number.

The “F” and “V” series of vehicle registration numbers were launched in 2016 for the federal territories of Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, respectively.

Last month, Loke said the “FF” series of vehicle registration numbers had brought in revenue exceeding RM34 million.

He said a total of 34,032 people participated in the bidding process from May 14 to 19, and 8,348 of the bidders were successful.

At the time, the FF 8 plate topped the chart with a bid of RM950,000, followed by FF 9 (RM911,999), FF 3 (RM639,000) and FF 2 (RM638,000).