Malaysian ‘WWW1' license plate sells for $165K to royal state leader

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The World Wide Web has inspired a bidding war in Malaysia -- on license plates.

When the prefix "WWW" became available on this Southeast Asian country's plates, more than 18,000 people submitted bids.

The Road Transport Department said Monday that the most coveted plate, "WWW1," sold for a record $165,600 to Malaysian royal state leader Sultan Ibrahim Ismail.

The constitutional leader of Malaysia's southern Johor state is reputedly a car enthusiast.

Officials estimate the successful WWW bids will earn the transport department $3.6 million.

The previous highest sum paid for a license plate in Malaysia was $95,600 in 2010 for MCA1, the acronym for a national political party.