Who Is Venu Gopalakrishnan? Kerala CEO Pays Rs 46 Lakh For Fancy Number Plate For His Lamborghini Urus

Venu Gopalakrishnan, a Kerala-based CEO, is making headlines after spending Rs 45.99 lakh to secure a coveted vehicle registration number for his Lamborghini Urus Performante. Gopalakrishnan is the founder and CEO of Kochi-based IT firm Litmus 7 Systems Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

During an online auction held by the Motor Vehicles Department on April 7, Gopalkrishnan emerged as the highest bidder for ‘KL 07 DG 0007’, overtaking the second-highest bid of Rs 44.84 lakh. The bid has made a record  for the most expensive number plate ever sold in the state of Kerala.

On his Instagram, Gopalakrishnan has shared glimpses of his collection of luxury vehicles, including a Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato and a BMW M1000 XR superbike. The unique number plate purchased by him shows his interest in decorating his luxury vehicles with exclusive detailing.

One of the posts on Gopalkrishnan's Instagram shared details about his latest purchase: "Lamborghini Urus Performante Kerala's first, and it's making headlines for its record-breaking number, 'KL 07 DG 0007' the most expensive fancy vehicle number in Kerala." 

The post was shared on Thursday by another Instagram user, who tagged Gopalkrishnan and appears to be working at his company. The lime-coloured Lamborghini Urus Performante, reportedly the first of its kind purchased in Kerala, looked striking in the video shared on the platform.

Gopalakrishnan’s new number plate closely resembles '007', which is a favorite among car enthusiasts. The number '007' is a popular pop culture reference to James Bond, the fictional British secret agent created by author Ian Fleming. 

Many luxury car owners in the past have acquired similar vehicle numbers as a mark of sophistication and exclusivity.

For instance, a man from Ahmedabad, Ashik Patel, had gone viral in 2020 after he acquired the vehicle registration number 'GJ01WA007' for his Toyota Fortuner. A huge fan of James Bond, Patel had paid Rs 34 lakh for the registration of the unique number plate.

Cricketer Virat Kohli uses the number 18 on many of his cars, matching his jersey number. India captain Rohit Sharma’s Lamborghini Urus sports the number '0264', with 264 being his highest individual score in ODI cricket.