Check out Jay Leno's unique car, a 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Dubos coupe.

The 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Dubos coupe is a unique combination of coachbuilt bodywork and race car mechanicals. Now part of the Nethercutt Collection in California, it was recently featured on "Jay Leno's Garage," where Cameron Richards, vice president of the collection, described its design and history.

The car started out as a Grand Prix racer, driven in competition by Louis Chiron (godfather of the Bugatti Chiron) and René Dreyfus; it was sold in 1936 to Andre Biss, who commissioned Parisian coachbuilder Louis Dubos to convert it into a road car . Dubos gave the car distinctive bodywork (Leno noted its resemblance to the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic) and it has since become known as the Dubos Coupe.

The Type 51 inherited the racing engine, a 2.3-liter dual overhead cam supercharged inline 8-cylinder engine that produced approximately 185 hp in gasoline and 200 hp in alcohol; mated to a 4-speed manual transmission, it could reach 140 mph acceleration to 140 mph.

At the rear are four small tailpipes. Leno says this is to avoid clearance problems with the single large-diameter tailpipe. The front wheels are smooth covered, but Bugatti's traditional spoked racing wheels can be seen protruding under the rear fender skirts. Another oddity is the fuel filler, which is located in the cabin and surrounded by leather upholstery, making refueling a bit nerve-wracking.

The coupe has changed owners several times over the years, and at one point the chassis and Dubos body were separated. The Nethercutt Collection acquired the chassis and located the body from a collection in Colorado. Nearly 50 years later, a full restoration reassembled the two parts.

Like the other cars in the Nethercutt Collection, the Dubos coupe was fully drivable, and Leno showed it driving near his garage near Los Angeles.