GLITZY CARS AND THEIR FANS ADD OCTANE TO CHARITY.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - There were more hot cars than in Beverly Hills and enough cool toys for thousands of needy San Fernando Valley kids.

The second annual Toys for Tots Charity Exotic Car Show on Sunday drew a who's who of Los Angeles motorsports, with 1,200 of the world's glitziest cars.

The Westlake Village car meet also bagged 5,000 toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots charity.

``Giving to needy kids - it's a feeling I can't even express, giving toys at Christmas,'' said Petty Officer Daniel Olortegni of the Navy and Marine Corps base in Encino, in parade dress as he greeted the cavalcade of red Ferraris and other toy-filled cars streaming into the parking lot of Countrywide Finance.

Sponsored by Countrywide, which donated $10,000, and presented by Village Coffee Roaster and the Motor for Toys Charity Foundation in Woodland Hills, the exotic car charity has become a top draw for big-boy and -girl toys from as far away as Canada and Florida.

There were rows of slippery sheet metal - hundreds of Porsches, Ferraris, Lotuses, Lamborghinis and American-made muscle cars - and howls from engines built for thrills.

``It's a dream - I wake up every morning and pinch myself,'' said Ron Levy, 55, of Calabasas, standing before his $1 million Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR, his SL65 V-12 Mercedes and his W-12 Bentley Continental GT, which all crank out over 600 horsepower in tycoon-like style.

``It's like heaven - it's like slicing through butter,'' added Kristi Luhar, 42, of Calabasas, who filled her BMW 760 Li with Barbie dolls for the event. ``I put my radar detector on and get here very fast.''

Nearby automotive gems included a $1 million Porsche GT, a concours '50s Mercedes-Benz 300SL gull-wing and a '30s Cord roadster. There were also vintage NASCAR racers, Jaguar E-Types and classic MG roadsters.

``If Santa drove an MG, he wouldn't get his toys delivered on time,'' joked Barry Taylor, 63, of Westlake Village, who'd driven his pristine - but mechanically finicky - 1955 MG TF.

Credit for the ritzy toy bonanza goes to Dustin Troyan, manager of Village Coffee Roaster, whose Woodland Hills cafe has become a mecca for speedy motorcycles and automobiles. The sport bikers meet Wednesday nights and the European sports car buffs the last Sunday of each month.

Troyan, himself a car maven, tailed every exotic machine he saw in order to boost his toy and police charity events. Within two years, he'd drawn enthusiasts of all stripes, from the cream of the L.A. car scene to those with humble air-cooled VWs.

``If I saw a string of Ferraris driving down Mulholland, I'd turn around and chase 'em down,'' said Troyan, 30, a graduate of El Camino Real High School.

``This event is 100 percent about the kids. No vendors - this is just cars and kids. It illustrates a passion from the motorsports (community), a passion for kids.''

Last year, his exotic car toy drive collected 2,300 toys in four hours. This year brought 5,000 toys in five hours.

``I tell you what - this ain't Arkansas,'' said Larry Wassel, 57, a visitor from Silom Springs, Ark. ogling a long line of wedge-like Lamborghinis. ``It's amazing. It says real L.A. money.''

``This is my dream car,'' said Sebouh Ohannessian of Granada Hills, a student at CSUN who drives a hopped-up Volkswagen TDI diesel, his jaw slack at the sight of a nearly 500-horsepower F-40 Ferrari. ``This is it. I'm speechless now.''

``It's almost as much fun as an F-16 when you hit the afterburners,'' said Rick Bernocco, 55, of Thousand Oaks, a ``corn flakes and beer'' racer standing before three 200-mph NASCAR race cars, one retired by Rusty Wallace.

``There's nothing like it. The acceleration. The smell. The sound. The total exhilaration. It's just unbelievable.''

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) At left, David Vallejo, a U.S. Marine reservist, stacks some of the toys collected during the Toys for Tots Charity Exotic Car Show in Westlake Village on Sunday. At right, a restored, classic MG is one of the many vintage cars on display.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer