INTEREST GEARS UP FOR PRECIOUS PIECE OF CRASHED ENZO FERRARI MAN PLANS VIEWING FOR ENZO FERRARI HOSE.

Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer

MALIBU - By the time Howard Dranow reached the crash site, the engine, cockpit and other big pieces of what had been a million-dollar Enzo Ferrari had been towed away.

But Dranow, who lives nearby and had seen reports of the spectacular Pacific Coast Highway crash on TV and the Internet, found one souvenir: A hose he believes came from the cherry-red classic.

And testing the adage that one man's junk is another's treasure, he's offering the 14-inch-long piece of rubber on eBay. By Wednesday evening, the price had edged past $28, with more than 3,200 users visiting the Web site.

``It's a brand-new piece of hose and has an Italian name on it,'' said Dranow, 62, who plans to donate proceeds from the auction to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. ``I'm pretty sure it's from this car, but I can't prove it.''

Authorities estimate the top-of-the-line machine - one of only 399 and named for Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari - was traveling about 120 mph on Pacific Coast Highway before dawn Tuesday when it went out of control and smashed into a power pole near Decker Canyon Road. The impact split the car in two and scattered debris for more than 1,000 feet, leaving only the cockpit intact.

When police arrived, they found Stefan Eriksson, 44, a former executive at a foundering Swedish electronics company, with a bloody nose.

Eriksson said he owned the car but had been riding in the passenger's seat, with a German he knew only as Dietrich behind the wheel. Eriksson said Dietrich fled after the crash, but police have not found him and have cast doubts about Eriksson's story.

``We're still investigating about the driver,'' Sheriff's Department Sgt. Philip Brooks said. ``We have to reinterview Mr. Eriksson, and that may not take place until next week.''

Meanwhile, the saga has become the talk of the week among car buffs and those visiting the eBay site.

One eBay viewer said he wanted the hose because he was trying to build an Enzo in his garage, one piece at a time. Another signed a message as Dietrich, saying he'd crashed the Enzo in a plot to steal it from Eriksson.

Dranow has been caught up with the hype, and plans to give car buffs the chance to view the hose at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Starbucks counter in Albertsons in Westlake Village. At 11 a.m., he'll lead a caravan to the crash site for a moment of silence, and then to lunch at a Malibu restaurant.

``It could have been such a tragedy,'' he said. ``That time in the morning, there are joggers, there are bicycle riders. How this idiot did something like that is beyond me. But I've decided to do something humorous.

``If anyone shows up, great,'' Dranow said. ``If not, that's great, too.

Josh Kleinbaum, [phone]

josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Howard Dranow shows the hose that he's selling on Ebay. He found it after a million-dollar car crashed on Pacific Coast Highway.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer