Rare 1970 Porsche 914 runs through Jay Leno's garage.

Racing driver Randy Pobst recently brought a 1970 Porsche 914/6 GT to Jay Leno's garage.

While the 914 itself was fairly common, only 16 of the 914/6 GT racing version were built. Pobst recently drove this car at Laguna Seca and claims to have outrun the newer 911 GT2 RS.

The 914 was the result of a partnership between Porsche and Volkswagen, who were looking for a successor to the Karmann Ghia. At the time, Porsche was still a small company and projects like this helped keep the company afloat. VW later backed out of the partnership, but the 914 went into production under Porsche's auspices in 1969 and was still sold in Europe under the VW-Porsche badge.

The base version also had a VW engine. Although a wise cost-cutting measure, the 1.7-liter flat-4 produced only 79 hp. However, Porsche also equipped the 914/6 with a 2.0-liter flat-six developed in-house that produced 108 hp.

Some Porsche fans scoffed at the VW connection and had to get used to the styling, which was very different from the 911. However, the mid-mounted engine was much more accessible than the modern 718 Cayman, and the 914 still sold admirably, Pobst notes. Porsche built 115,631 four-cylinder models between 1969 and 1975 and 3,338 six-cylinder models between 1969 and 1972.

To be more competitive on the track, the 914/6 GT was upgraded from the Porsche 906 with a more powerful 2.0-liter flat-six. And even with the addition of a reinforcement bar in the rear trunk, the car still weighed only 1,940 pounds.

The flat six was fed from a 26-gallon fuel tank mounted under the front hood. The tank had plenty of range when full and helped balance the weight distribution, Pobst said, but that would obviously change once the tank wore out and the front end was lighter. However, the mid-engine design, Pobst noted, helped balance the car better than a rear-engine 911.

While other Porsche racing cars generally received more attention from enthusiasts, the 914/6 GT was also successful in competition, finishing sixth overall in the 1970 Le Mans 24-hour race. The 914 itself also laid the foundation for the later Porsche Boxster and Cayman.

It is unlikely that you will ever see a car with a Le Mans pedigree cruising down a public road. Be sure to check out the video to see this 914/6 GT driving through the streets of Los Angeles.