That's exactly what Jay Leno does: He scans the part in a NextEngine 3D Scanner in about 20 minutes at a 160,000 dots per inch resolution. Then he prints the resulting 3D model in plastic using a Dimension 3D Printer. It takes three hours to get the plastic model, which then he uses it to create a mold that will produce the actual car piece in metal.

You can read more about the process in Jay's own words at Popular Mechanics. [Popular Mechanics]

The car resembles a Corvette, using a modified Corvette Z06 aluminum frame underneath, and it has other GM styling cues such as the nose, which looks like a Cadillac STS. The similarity ends there, though, because this is a mid-engine behemoth, looking more like an aircraft than a car. What a spectacular design and engineering feat! We're hoping the GM Design Studio and its attendant suits will decide put something like this on the road sometime soon. Could the 2008 Corvette steal an idea or two from this? – Charlie White

The EcoJet: Jay Leno's New GM-Outsourced Supercar [Jalopnik]