AHMEDABAD: Mihir Desai, a businessman from Ahmedabad, channels his inner James Bond when it comes to his cars.

His recent acquisitions, an Audi Q5 and a Fortuner Sigma 4 Automatic, are not just ordinary vehicles - they are his licence to thrill.

And just like the legendary British spy, the 38-year-old too spared no expense, coughing up Rs 21.82 lakh and Rs 22.08 lakh to snag the coveted digits 0007 and 0009 for his prized rides.The Secret Service agent answers to the code number 007, while 009 is the code number of another intelligence operative in the Double-O section.

Desai, who spent around Rs 1 crore to buy the cars, paid almost Rs 44 lakh to get the numbers of his choice.The GJ-01-WM series auction was hotter than a shaken martini, attracting a staggering 630 contenders, all eager to claim their lucky numbers.

The Ahmedabad RTO raked Rs 1.33 crore from this frenzy earlier this month."When I first bought my cars, I got the numbers 0007 and 0009.

Soon, these numbers became synonymous with my identity.

People who know me instantly recognize my vehicles due to these distinctive digits.

So, when I needed new vehicles, I decided to go with the same numbers.

I made sure to convey my preference to the showroom staff to ensure I got these numbers," said Desai, who lives in the Sindhu Bhavan area.Desai's determination was undeniable as he navigated through the auction with the finesse of a secret agent.

With a mission to secure his desired numbers, he outmanoeuvred his rivals and strategically altered his bids at the eleventh hour.

He altered his bids at precisely 3.59.25pm, leaving the second bidder shaken, stirred and with no chance to outbid him.

I knew the second bidder personally and had requested him to withdraw, but he was stubborn.

It then became a matter of prestige," Mihir Desai revealed.The second bidder, a resident of Rajkot, went to great lengths to secure the number 0009 for his vehicle, registering it across various parts of the state wherever auctions were being held.Interestingly, in 2020, an Amdavadi, who runs a transport business, bid Rs 34 lakh for GJ-01-WA-0007.

However, RTO officials said the man failed to make the full payment in time, causing the bid to be withdrawn.

Ruturaj Desai, Ahmedabad road transport officer, confirmed the bids, saying, "We received two bids of Rs 21.80 lakh and Rs 22.08 lakh from Mihir Desai." When asked about the collection from the GJ01WM series, he acknowledged it as one of the highest revenue-generating series for the RTO.

In total, nine bids for numbers exceeded Rs 1 lakh, with two bids reaching Rs 99,000.

The third-highest bid was for the number 0001, which fetched Rs 9.43 lakh, followed by the sought-after 7777 number, concluding with a final bid of Rs 5.25 lakh.