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After President Eisenhower launched the space race in the late 1950s, there was a national sentiment that capable, average Americans could home-build just about anything. All men needed were good instructions and the right tools. Companies like Zenith, Heathkit, and the Radio Shack franchise offered solder-wielding hobbyists build-it-yourself kits for radios, TVs, alarm systems, etc. These, of course, would be necessary fitments for Cold War era bomb shelters.

At the Los Angeles auto show in November, Volkswagen will unwrap a new mid-engine sports car concept. This marks the third iteration of a theme that started in 2003 with the Concept R and continued in 2005 with the EcoRacer.