Learn the fascinating history of the 1958 McMinn Le Mans Coupe

The 1958 McMinn LeMans Coupe is a car that even the most dedicated car guy or car gal would have a hard time identifying.

"Only a handful were built in the 1950s, because they were either wrecked in accidents or later dismantled.

The version featured in the latest episode of "Jay Leno's Garage" is original only in its fiberglass body. The body was left in the field for decades, but finally amateur builder Dennis Kazmelowski acquired it and, along with his good friend Alan Fudge, rebuilt the car using the original instructions published in "Road & Track." The original car was powered by a 283 cubic-inch Chevrolet V-8, while the rebuilt car was powered by a 283 V-8 from a 1957 Corvette. According to Kazmerovsky, the restoration project took only 20 months and 3,000 hours and weighed less than 2,000 pounds.

The McMinn Le Mans Coupe was not a regular production car, but rather the brainchild of John Bond, publisher of Road & Track in the 1950s. His idea was an American-designed car

that could win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and be assembled from easily procured parts.

Thanks to his engineering background, Bond was able to design the chassis, the details of which were documented in articles in Road & Track from 1957. He still needed a body designer, and the job was given to Strother McMinn, then head of design at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. McMinn was also a friend of Jay Leno's and regularly visited his garage.

The main features of the McMinn LeMans coupe were its long-tail design, gullwing doors, and V-8 powertrain. Although it appears to glide through the air, it has not been aerodynamically tested.

Bond and McMinn did not build the car themselves. The challenge was left to the reader, and several readers took up the task. According to Undiscovered Classics, which documents the history of the car and its various builds, three cars were completed after the design was published in Road & Track, with two reaching the partial build stage. Now Kazmelovsky's car will be added to that list.

To learn more about this particular car and the original project, and to see Jay driving it, click on the video above.