The bond between an entrepreneur and his car is one of those subjects no professor of business administration will ever study. But it's real, and it's bankable, as two men, themselves entrepreneurs, have discovered -- much to their advantage.

Dean Kruse champions man's love for the automobile, while Peter Levy is a savant of the bottom line. Both have experienced the greatest thrill an entrepreneur can know -- the confirmation that his product or service has tapped into a huge, previously unexplored need.

Kruse made his discovery 20 years ago, when as a young real estate auctioneer in Auburn, Ind., he was approached by the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was losing $4,000 a year running the local Cord Duesenberg Club's annual reunion and wanted Kruse to help auction off some donated items to defray expenses. "I'm a third-generation auctioneer," Kruse explains. "My father said, `Why don't we sell the cars?'" A letter to club members brought in 73 responses, the Kruses did some advertising, and on the morning of the auction, they found the roads blocked by 30,000 people.

"They came for the cars. But they also ate all the food in every restaurant in Auburn, all the food in every store, every food locker," recalls Kruse. "We knew we were on to something." Before long, car auctions had created a new investment market in the classics. Last year, Kruse International knocked down 13,750 cars for $375 million, with an average of four bidders for every car. It held 50 auctions around the world; 150,000 people alone attended the now-annual Auburn event.

Six years ago, Levy was working at Apple Computer. As he recalls, "The Macintosh was just going from a gleam in somebody's eye to a real product, and I recognized that this computer allowed you to do things with information on a printed sheet of paper that were unheard of. At the same time, I was looking for a car. I had it down to three different models, so I went to the local library to ask an easy question: They all cost the same, they looked pretty much alike, so which one was the best to own over time?

"The reason I started this business is that there was no answer."

Taking a leave of absence, Levy did his own market analysis and research on the vast automotive field, using already published materials. After a few months, he dipped into his savings to hire employees to do original research on new car expense factors. "I took that risk," he says, "and I'm still taking it. But I saw that the need for useful, understandable information was huge, and that the Macintosh system could develop it."

Four years ago, his book, The Complete Car Cost Guide, came out. It's a masterful and succinct display of hard facts on a difficult subject. The subtitle promises "A guide to the economics of buying and owning a new automobile," and the book delivers. Want to know how to out-wit the pressure tactics of a car salesman? The five-year cost of depreciation, financing, insurance, state fees, fuel, maintenance, and repairs? How about the repair frequency for engine, transmission, cooling, and five other components? Finally, wouldn't it be useful to know the car's expected resale value computed on a graph that tells you exactly when to unload it for maximum cost-benefit purposes?

The Complete Car Cost Guide and its companion volume, The Complete Small Truck Cost Guide, have the answers to these questions and more (800-227-2665).

Four years later, Levy's brainchild enjoys an ever-increasing public. "Our sales are going through the roof," he says, "running at a rate of over three times last year's sales, and last year's three times over the one before that." With the first product in hand, he found venture capital, formed a board of directors, and organized IntelliChoice Inc., of San Jose, Calif., as an information company. "We haven't looked back since."

CARS AS INVESTMENTS

How does a classic car rate as a straight investment? Well, classic car prices rose an average of 15 percent in the week after the stock market crash of 1987. Here are Dean Kruse's tips for beginners:

Kruse identifies four types of classic car buyers. The investor is looking for a deal that will give him a better return than money in the bank. "He can find it, if he does a little research. There are cars that go up 20 to 30 percent a year in value." The hobbyist buys cars, tears them apart, and tinkers with them. The collector pays the highest price. "He's got every Ford that was ever built, and he doesn't care what he pays." The dealer makes a full-time living buying and selling classic cars.

Glamour cars on the investment circuit are high-horsepower, hand-built, limited-production models. A new Ferrari F40 will go for $1 million over list the day it is delivered from the factory; there's a lively market in selling positions on the Ferrari waiting lists.

Prices for cars from the '20s through the '40s, however, have been softening. But Kruse sees an excellent investment opportunity in the cars that members of the baby-boom generation drove -- or dreamed of driving -- as adolescents. "I tell people that if you're a novice with limited funds, get into a General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler product, 18 years old, in red or black. When a car hits its 20th birthday, it takes its biggest jump in value, usually doubling or tripling." Convertibles are particularly sought after. Kruse recommends giving the car a thorough inspection -- that you take a mechanic along with you on any serious shopping trips