THE ROVING EYE.

THE first Sparrows have begun descending in Los Angeles, and they're already turning out to be a bigger hit than those San Juan Capistrano birds ever were.

At 1,350 pounds and $14,900 each, they're are a lot bigger and pricier, too.

We're talking about the new Sparrow three-wheeled, electric-powered, one-seater car, arguably the funniest looking vehicle to hit L.A. streets since the beach buggy. Manufactured by Corbin Motors of Hollister, the Sparrow is officially licensed as a motorcycle, but fully enclosed. It can reach speeds of up to 75 mph, with a 60-mile range on freeways on a single charge.

Sound a bit impractical, or pricey as transportation for a single motorist? Maybe so, but one consolation is that its motorcycle license means no ticket in the carpool lanes.

Now, if Corbin, which started production in 1999, could only hatch Sparrows faster. At its current pace of nine a week, the company has a waiting list in the hundreds.

Environmental Motors, an offshoot of Colonial Honda in Glendale, sells the Sparrow and finally got three shipped in recently, following a months-long wait. There are deposits on two, and one is still nesting. Once it flies the coop, it could be another long wait.

"We could sell 50 of them if we could get our hands on them, but we have to tell people we will take a reservation (and) it might take seven or eight months to get it," he said. "That's a put-off for people."

A better route might be to try The Sharper Image store on 9550 Santa Monica Blvd., which has a canary-yellow Sparrow in its window, available for a test drive. A salesman there promised delivery in four weeks.