In the wake of the second world war, chairman Tsuenji Matsuda wanted to transform his company, which manufactured three-wheel industrial vehicles, into a contender for Japan’s Big Three. Thus he needed to develop a distinctive automobile. When he heard about a new technology being developed in Germany, he immediately paid exorbitant licensing fees in order to produce Felix Wankel’s rotary engine, despite the fact that it had yet to be perfected. At the time, with no pistons, crankshaft, camshaft or valve train, the rotary engine appeared to be the key to the future, but there was only one little problem: the seals on the edges of the rotors didn’t last.

With engineer Kenichi Yamamoto at the head of the development team, who became known as “the 47 road warriors,” work on the engine commenced. After five long years Yamamoto was still unable to manufacture durable seals for the rotors. Legend has it that one day Yamamoto gazed at his pencil, and decided to try fabricating the seals from aluminum impregnated with carbon. Finally the rotary engine was ready for production, and the ultra sporty Cosmo became the halo vehicle for the Mazda brand.

Full production on the Cosmo began in May of 1967, and the cars were built by hand at the rate of about one per day until 1972, with a total production run of 1176 vehicles. Since the right-hand drive Cosmo was never designated for export, there are maybe half a dozen existing in North America today. Along with the Cosmo’s elegant styling, reminiscent of the 1961 Ford Thunderbird, it’s one of the more distinctive grand touring coupes you’re ever going to see. The car’s two rotor 10A Wankel produced a delightful hum, along with 110 hp.

Jay’s Cosmo was once owned by an American U2 pilot living in Japan who brought it back to the States, and Jay is only its third owner. Although the exterior was in great shape, the engine was completely shot, and restoring it was a challenge, since you can’t get original Cosmo parts. Jay upgraded the engine to a 12A, which doubles the car’s horsepower, enabling it to rev to 9500 rpm. A custom intake manifold and Weber side-draft carb were added. Brakes and shocks were also updated, and the 5-speed gearbox was replaced with one from an RX-7.

Though only 1,100 of these were made, and none intended for international export, Jay Leno has still managed to add one of these unusual vehicles to his collection.