After completing registration of my Beck 356 in Honolulu last week (Thursday, August 23, 2012), I thought it'd be beneficial for future owners to have some background in registering speedsters in Hawaii (assume it should be the same for spyders). The process is rather easy once you learn the process (thank you for connections!), it's a little different from registering more current vehicles and a little more involved.
The guy I was working with in the City and County of Honolulu, DMV said he is familiar with the Beck manufactured speedster and hasn't had problems with registering them (thank you Kevin and Carey) so this process was a little easier. I don't how different it is with other manufactured speedsters but would hope it's similar. In any case, here's the step-by-step process:
1. Call the C&C, DMV, Reconstruction Section and follow their directions.
- He/she will ask you to submit photographs of the vehicle (front, back, side, and VIN plate - I also submitted a picture of the interior which ended up helping a lot)
- The inspector will take this information and complete paperwork to submit to the local police department.
2. After #1, you can go to your favorite satellite city hall (if there is such a thing). You will need to bring the following:
- ID
- Temporary vehicle license (received from the shipper).
- Vehicle title
- Bill of sale
- Vehicle insurance (I believe this is optional but I brought it anyway)
3. Once you've completed the above you need to wait two to three days. You should get a call from the inspector after the waiting period. Hopefully, the police detective completed his review of the information you provided and you passed with flying colors.
4. Now you have to go to the C&C, DMV, Recon Section location to have the inspector verify the information against the car. The inspector will look at your speedy and place a black sticker on your driver's side door jamb and provide you with the associated paperwork. No, you're not done. 
That's right you still have some more running around before the actual registration.
5. Now you need to go to an approved weigh station to get the speedy weighed. (Ruby weighed in at 1600 lbs) Oh yeah, bring some cash or a check. (Some places may or may not accept checks or credit cards). Note: You might want to think about leaving the spare tire at home and not fill up the gas tank (ask me how I know!). Also, you could do #6 before this, depending on what is more convenient.
6. Now you need to get a safety check/inspection at your favorite location. You will need to bring:
- ID
- The vehicle title
- Insurance card
- Cash or check (some places don't take checks and/or credit cards)
They check your lights, turn signals, wipers, and horn to see they are in working order. Some places will check your suspension and tire wear before passing you.
7. Now you're ready to register your speedy. That's right, you're in the home stretch. (I took the paperwork back to the same satellite city hall as the lines are usually short and they're fast) You will need to bring:
- ID
- Temporary vehicle license (received from the shipper).
- Vehicle title
- Bill of sale
- Vehicle insurance
- Weigh ticket
- DMV, recon section paperwork
- Temporary safety check form
- Cash or check (City doesn't take credit cards)
At this point, you shouldn't have a problem in getting your license plates, but you're not done!
8. That's right, now you have to go back to the safety check station to show your car is registered, and obtain permanent safety check paperwork and get you safety check stickers. If you haven't paid for this service now you will have to cough up some more money. They'll place the stickers on the car, now you're finally legal (don't forget to mount that front license plate as Hawaii law won't allow cars on the road without it.) 
Finally, did I mention? I guess not, you will not be registering your speedster as a reconstructed vehicle. The guy at the recon location told me my speedy would not even get close to passing a reconstructed vehicle inspection. Instead, the car gets registered as a SIV (special interest vehicle). Not sure what this means, I'm sure more informed readers out there would know what this means. It does mean I only have to have operational front headlights, rear brake lights, hydraulic braking system, windshield wipers, and emergency brake. I didn't mention horn because apparently it's not needed in a SIV, but double check on this.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone with this process and lessens some of the unknown factors. Happy cruzin!
ed
