KIDS OF ALL ERAS AND AGES IN LOVE WITH SPINDIZZIES.

Byline: Heather Wood Staff Writer

``Big boys can have toys,'' says Spindizzy collector Eric Zauser, ``we just don't play with them as much.''

Spindizzies are small-scale model race cars powered by tiny gas engines, and Zauser has been collecting them for nearly 40 years.

``I walked into an antique store one day and I was hooked,'' he says. ``Here was this perfect, working model of a 1930s car. I bought as many as the store owner had.''

Since then, his Spindizzy collection has grown to more than 600 models, arguably the world's most comprehensive, ranging from 1930s originals to 1980s remakes. Some are as large as 4 feet, and others as tiny as 6 inches - and he keeps all of them in his San Francisco home showroom.

Now Zausner has temporarily parted with about 60 of his cars, which are on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles through Feb. 27.

With models, craftsmen had the room to exercise their creativity. Zausner's Spindizzy collection includes a handful of bizarre creations. Some are shaped like raindrops and flames, others like needles and poles. ``The Bantam Midget,'' a 1940s electric yellow and wood-bodied car, is a clunker at about a foot long. ``The Frog'' is perhaps the most unusual, a 1960s model with wheels that extend like flippers. The 1940s ``Clam,'' built in France by an unknown manufacturer, was ahead of its time, resembling a version of the VW Beetle.

Spindizzies reached the height of their popularity between 1938 and 1950, when hundreds of spectators would turn out to watch these little noisy cars race on mini-tracks from Toronto to Whittier, where one of only two surviving Spindizzy tracks in this country remains.

Southern California was home to some of the first Spindizzy tracks. A corner lot at Rosecrans and Western in Los Angeles, nicknamed ``the Dust Bowl,'' hosted some of the country's first Spindizzy races. Racers would tie their cars to a pole with a strong cord and watch them go, sometimes up to speeds of 190 mph. Watching these cars circle small tracks could make a person dizzy, hence the Spindizzy moniker.

Today, Spindizzies are sought after by savvy collectors for their racy looks, original craftsmanship and intricate engineering. Inexpensive model kits ($20 to $100) are available for those who want to build their own Spindizzy from manufactured parts. But collectors like Zausner settle for nothing less than the original models, molded and crafted by aficionados more than 50 years ago.

Zausner scours the country's antique shops and car shows, courting Spindizzy owners, hoping to purchase their original models.

``Most people I run into are happy to sell their cars to someone who wants to preserve them,'' says Zausner.

These originals carry a hefty price tag. Walking me through the Petersen exhibit, Zausner points out one of his favorites: ``The Indianapolis,'' an ultrasleek, cherry-colored convertable, with reflective chrome bumpers and soft-skin leather seats, designed by premiere Spindizzy architect Barney Korn.

``He's considered the da Vinci of these things,'' says Zausner admiringly. ``That car would go for about $30,000 today.

Zausner's eyes widen as he rediscovers his invaluable collection. The same kind of awe inspires the mostly male crowd recently during opening night of ``Spindizzies: High Speed on a Smaller Scale.''

A few fanatics ogle out loud.

``These are big boy's toys,'' said one excited man, echoing Zausner's earlier sentiment.

``Look at this one, Dad,'' a teen-age boy exclaimed to his father. ``I wonder how fast it goes.''

That inherent fascination with speed pushed the Spindizzy movement into the future. The earliest Spindizzies were modeled after life-size fantasy cars, such as a 1947 ``Roadrunner'' or 1947 ``McCoy,'' made to look like Ford Model T's, A's and V8's of the 1920s and '30s. These cars were by far the prettiest, with intricate details such as bright chrome hub caps, sleek paint jobs and genuine leather interiors, but these gas-powered models could reach speeds of only about 40 mph.

Builders in the 1960s through '80s started to experiment with different techniques, from front-wheel drive aluminum models to propeller-driven brass molds, to achieve the fastest speeds. The newer cars abandoned realistic features such as seats and doors for a smoother, more aerodynamic body. The 1980s ``Frymire Streamliner,'' with a four-horsepower engine, can exceed 150 mph. The blue and silver body looks a bit like a space needle.

``Racers stopped caring about details and wanted to win races,'' says Zausner, who wrote ``Spindizzies: Gas-Powered Model Racers,'' a detailed history on the fad. ``In the '80s, fantasy started to take over. And that's what it's all about anyway. Preserving the fantasy of these cars.''

The facts

What: ``Spindizzies: High Speed on a Small Scale.''

Where: Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

When: 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; through Feb. 27.

How much: $7 adults, $5 seniors and students with ID, $3 children 5-12, children under 5 free.

Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1 -- 2-- color -- 1 color only) Above, Dick McCoy, 92, second from right, is the creator of antique McCoy engines. At right, Spindizzy races were an international draw in the first part of the century.

Marilynn Young/Special to the Daily News

Photo courtesy of Toppage.com

(3) Richard Taylor II takes a closer look at a 1950 McCoy Hot Rod at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Marilynn Young/Special to the Daily News