Groups lay claim to plates on Binion car

Jean Reid Norman

Monday, April 17, 2000 | 11:21 a.m.

The hype before the auction of Ted Binion's limousine on Sunday noted that the 1984 Rolls-Royce was christened Horseshoe 1 when it was delivered to casino owner Benny Binion and still bore the Nevada license plates HSHOE1.

But when the car went on the auction block, it was without the distinctive plates.

Horseshoe security Lt. Jeff Russell showed up at the Imperial Palace Sunday just before the auction to lay the Horseshoe hotel-casino's claim to them.

The plates were removed from the stretch limo, but Russell left the auction empty-handed. Both the Auto Collection at the Imperial Palace and the Horseshoe said they had a legal claim to the personalized plates.

"We had paperwork that indicated the license plates were transferred with the car," Phil Skinner, publicist for The Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace, said. That paperwork included the certificate of title and "some type of agreement between the seller and buyer," he said.

"The license plates were always registered to the Horseshoe. HSHOE1 is still registered to the Horseshoe. We still own them," Horseshoe owner Becky Behnen said this morning. "I don't see any reason they would want to keep them."

The state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety says the law is on the Horseshoe's side.

Owners may transfer license plates to other cars they own, but plates do not transfer to a new owner, DMV spokeswoman Kim Evans said. If the owner does not need them any longer, they must be returned to the DMV.

Skinner said the license plates were removed to show Horseshoe officials "that we do have it and they are safe," but they were not returned. Behnen said this morning she intends to pursue the plates until they are back on a Horseshoe-owned car.

No new owner is in limbo over the disagreement, however. The final bid on the car -- $71,000 from a Florida doctor who collects cars -- did not meet the seller's minimum of around $80,000, Skinner said.

Two bidders are still negotiating to buy the car, Skinner said, so it could still be sold.