All Bob Shotwell did at the age of 17 back in the 30s was build his own three-wheeled car, pictured at left.  He named it "Philbert the Puddle Jumper." At that age I couldn’t tell a hammer from a screwdriver and my skills were limited to those listed in the headline. In defense of myself I must say I honed those skills with great effort and gusto. 

Building anything, much less a car, was way beyond my ability and quite honestly of zero interest to me. That means that I now hold people who do build things, especially at the age of 17, in special reverence.  The car is featured in a Popular Mechanics article by Jay Leno, who refurbished the car after Shotwell gave it to him, and he points out that in this day and age there are very few 17 year olds who can build anything, so I guess I shouldn’t feel too bad about my own lack of DIY creds. He also wistfully points out that in the 30s you could show up at the DMV and register a self-built three wheeled car.  Try doing that today.