"The tea party has to a certain extent scared the Republican Party, " said one poll respondent, Tim Bahmer, a 44-year-old Republican and self-employed auto mechanic from Charlotte, Mich.

WSJ: Tea-Party Movement Gains Force

Lori Johnson, a longtime auto mechanic, teaches car-owners the basics at Ladies Start Your Engines.

FORBES: Cars

In Rockwell, Iowa, retired auto mechanic Larry Degen watched some of the debate--while flipping back and forth to the baseball playoff.

CNN: latimes.com: In many voters' minds, debate fails in the drama department

In the 1950s, Marino Auriti, an Italian immigrant and auto mechanic, created an architectural model for a mammoth, wedding cake-shaped museum he hoped would be built on the Mall.

WSJ: Culture City: It's History (Believe It or Not)