DRIVEN TO CHARITY; AUTO SHOW ATTRACTS HUNDREDS, PROCEEDS AID YOUTH PROGRAMS.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

Hundreds of car enthusiasts turned out Sunday to soak up the sun and fun at the Millennium Car Show, sponsored by the Van Nuys Boulevard Auto Row.

Robert Marcott, a locksmith from Agoura, brought his 8-year-old son Brandon out for the day to look at the cars on display and grab a hot dog or two.

``He really loves it,'' Marcott said. ``It was worth the drive, and we're having a great time.''

Cars on display ranged from a 1918 Ford Model T, with a maximum speed of about 45 mph, to a 1999 Plymouth Prowler, with a maximum speed of 150 mph.

Alex Akoury, a 73-year-old retired carpenter from Encino, brought his Model T out for its car show debut. Although his car is still being fixed up, Akoury said he got plenty of compliments.

``This is a fun car,'' he said. ``It's a hobby for me, and I never planned to come out to one of these shows. But now that I have, I might make a practice of it.''

He said it was also good to know that the proceeds from registering in the show went to Keep Youth Doing Something, a San Fernando Valley-based organization providing numerous programs and services to local at-risk youths.

Susan Levi, the group's executive director, said she expected the car show to raise more than $2,000.

Among the festivities, local schoolchildren competed in a ``Design a Car of the Future'' contest, awarding a $100 savings bond as first prize for the best drawing and concept.

Corey Hsu, a fourth-grade student from Balboa Magnet School, took home the grand prize for his drawing of a flying car with a giant helicopter-like propeller on its roof.

He said the design idea came because he was searching for a solution to traffic jams. The cost? A cool $1 million per vehicle on the global market, he said.

Although the design was near complete, his dad, Joe Hsu, said production plans might be held off until the young car designer completes fifth grade.

A big attraction at the car show was an autograph-signing booth with the Laker Girls, where mostly men lined up all morning to get a signed photograph of the cheerleaders.

All proceeds from the car show went to Keep Youth Doing Something, which since 1992 has provided activities for kids between 12 and 18 in the Valley, including drug prevention and education, after-school programs, mentoring, annual career day, neighborhood councils, family support and sports programs.

For more information about the programs offered by KYDS, call [phone].

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Car buffs check out a Ford Roadster at the Van Nuys Boulevard Auto Row's first annual Millennium Car Show.

(2) This 1932 Ford, on display at the Van Nuys Boulevard Auto Row's Millennium Car Show, features a set of twin Paxton blowers that give it 800 to 1,000 horsepower.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News