BITTEN BY THE BUG; DEBUT OF NEW BEETLE DRAWS OUT AFICIONADOS.

Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer

Thirty-some years ago, Elaine Brinkerhoff shuddered at the sight of an odd little car called the Volkswagen Beetle.

But owning three sets of these whimsical wheels during the 1960s transformed her distaste to devotion. Now, after anxiously waiting for the new Beetle, she's cashing in her Lexus to buy one.

``I read an article . . . years ago that they were going to be coming out,'' said Brinkerhoff, 54, of Ventura. ``And I've been waiting and waiting and waiting. . . . I want one. I'm actually going to sell my Lexus and pay cash for it. I'm obsessed by it.''

Obsession has turned to reality for scores of area residents this week. A few years after Volkswagen announced it was redesigning the Bug in its Simi Valley design studio, and a few months after the new Beetle debuted at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, the cars have arrived in area dealerships.

So far, most of the new Beetles are parked in dealer showrooms. But soon, scores will be on the road.

The new Beetle combines the original Bug's funky shape with 1990s comfort and safety. The engine is in the front now, instead of the back, and updated, eliminating the characteristic putt-putt noise of the earlier Bug.

The ride is smoother, and air bags have been added. Its flower power is preserved with a built-in bud vase on the dashboard.

The combination of practicality and nostalgia is proving irresistible to Beetle fans, dealers report.

Brinkerhoff is one of 14 customers who have plunked down $1,000 each at Volkswagen of Woodland Hills to secure one of the new Beetles that just rolled in from the factory Wednesday, said General Manager Andrew Sattley.

Fifty customers have placed $500 deposits with Volkswagen Audi of Van Nuys, said owner Fritz Pflock.

``We stopped taking orders two weeks ago,'' he said. ``We probably turned 100 (customers) down.''

Van Nuys and Woodland Hills each got one Beetle to start. Pflock said he expects to get 50 more by June, and Sattley said he'll receive an additional five within the next 10 days. After that, they'll get 10 to 15 a month.

But the buzz surrounding the new model's debut has been attracting would-be buyers faster than the dealership can deliver the Bugs.

``Our receptionist probably fields 20 calls a day, of people checking, Is it there yet? Is it there yet?'' Sattley said.

Pflock said he'll sell the black new Beetle in his showroom once others arrive. The cherry-red model now in the Woodland Hills showroom is spoken for by a woman who is out of town this week but who permitted the dealership to display her car in the meantime, Sattley said.

These new Beetles are attracting admirers like moths to a flame.

``It's so cute!'' cried P.J. Soles, 47, of Woodland Hills. ``It looks like someone designed it with a sense of humor. It's like a kid's car at Disneyland.''

And at $16,680, she said, the Bug is right up her alley.

``Anytime you can get a car for less than $20,000, you think you're getting a deal,'' she said.

The lure of nostalgia has its downside, though. Jeff Allen, 40, of Granada Hills, had some hesitations about the price, recalling the $125 and $250 he spent on his two VW bugs in the 1970s.

``It's a lot of money, still, for this car,'' he said.

Those who were barely born before the original bug was laid to rest were mesmerized by its reincarnation.

``It's a classic shape,'' said Christine Shokorian, 23, of Woodland Hills. ``This is the most original thing I've seen since the 1970s.''

Shokorian followed the car into the shop after seeing one of the dealership's employees spinning it down the street.

``Some people who were on the street were just looking at it, just, wow,'' she said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) Ellen Solomon of North Hills has fun looking at the new VW Beetle at a Woodland Hills Volkswagen dealership Thursday.

(2--Color) As a nod to its flower-power roots, the new Beetle is equipped with a bud vase.

John McCoy/Daily News