Los Angeles Times

One of Southern California's last model and hobby shops will close because of rising rent

LOS ANGELES - Evett's Model Shop has gotten unusual requests over its 71 years of operation, but few have been as weird as the one in January from YouTube car comedy channel Donut Media: Help a Bugatti built from Lego bricks go really fast, maybe even set a speed record.

The Santa Monica store, one of Southern California's few remaining model and hobby shops, took on the job. Employee Luke Orrin added a custom drivetrain, radio-controlled electronics and even magnets on the doors to keep them closed when the pedal hit the metal.

The tricked-out one-eighth-scale model "crashed in the most beautiful way" during the speed test but not before topping 40 mph, which the

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