Posted on: Friday, October 15, 2004
Custom cruisers finally street-legal
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
After years of waiting, owners of Volkswagen-style dune buggies in Honolulu finally will be street-legal.
Andrew Shimabuku • The Honolulu Advertiser Until now, Honolulu licensing officials had refused to recognize the cars, saying they were not specifically mentioned, and thus not covered, under an amended special-interest vehicle bill approved this year by the Legislature.
They changed their minds after receiving assurances from the state Transportation Department that the law was intended to cover the dune buggies.
"It was a long fight, but we're happy it's over," said Todd Matsumoto, who led a group of about 30 owners battling for the change.
Hawai'i law defines a special-interest vehicle as one of any age that, because of its significance, is being collected, preserved, restored or maintained by a collector. The term includes ... any vehicle manufactured before 1968 or manufactured after 1967 to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1968. In addition, all special-interest vehicles must include: The cars are a far cry from what many think of as dune buggies. Instead of the lightweight pipe-bar vehicles built to cruise the beach in the 1960s, the VW dune buggies are costly, custom-crafted vehicles usually built for auto shows or limited to a Sunday drive around the islands, Matsumoto said.
Under the old state law, a special-interest vehicle was a collectible built before 1949 or designed to look like one. The Legislature this year changed the law to include vehicles built or appearing to have been built before 1968, which would have covered most dune buggies in Hawai'i, Matsumoto said.
However, since the words "dune buggie" were deleted from a final version of the law, Kamimura said he couldn't license them until he got word from the state.
The dune buggies, like all special-interest vehicles, will be subject to the same rules and fee schedules that govern vehicles registered in the state, Kamimura said.
Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5460.
City officials said yesterday they would begin registering and licensing the customized vehicles next month.
Todd Matsumoto, president of the Volkswagen Club, sits in his 1969 dune buggy — a far cry from the pipe-bar beach cruiser of the 1960s.
"The state assured us that the intent of the law was to cover dune buggies, and that's what made the difference," said Dennis Kamimura, city motor vehicle and licensing administrator.
Special-interest vehicles
