No time could be better than now to load up on the handful of funds that promise to post the kind of performance that mighty Fidelity Magellan did in the late 1970s and early '80s, when Peter Lynch was in charge.

A good start might be to look at industry standard bearers-besides Magellan, these would include Templeton Growth, which, like Magellan, has a new manager, and Vanguard Windsor, Acorn and CGM Capital Development, which are closed to new investors-then find funds with similar characteristics to those funds during their peak performance years.

Vista Capital Growth A has $385 million in funds. And co-managers Mark Tincher, 38, and David Klassen, 35, share a number of Lynch-like characteristics, including a knack for shifting investing styles to seize the best opportunities for capital appreciation. Their fund's 23.8 percent annual return over the past three years (vs. 9.5 percent for the S&P 500) includes a roaring 71 percent gain in the growth-oriented 1991 market.