When Jay decided he wanted 600 hp powered by a homegrown alternative to gasoline, Corvette stepped up, handing a stock Z06 to C6.R-builders Gary Pratt and Jim Miller. The result? The world’s first and only flex-fuel Corvette, which is as close to a race car as you drive on the street in America.

Pratt & Miller's range of design, engineering, fabrication, and race program management capabilities are among the most sophisticated in the world. Working out of New Hudson, Michigan, they’ve been one of GM’s official racing teams since 1999. Today, Pratt & Miller constructs, maintains and runs the American LeMans Series Corvette Racing Team, winning seven consecutive LeMans Series Championships, among other accolades. As part of Jay’s ongoing Green Garage initiative, Jay wanted the kind of car these guys built for the track in a dependable street vehicle that ran on E85, a denatured alcohol fuel made from corn.

Unveiled at SEMA 2007, this C6RS is more than a mere simple conversion of the Z06’s LS7 V-8. Pratt and Miller’s LeMans treatment starts with a custom aluminum 8.2 liter, 500-cubic inch small-block, machined from a solid piece of aluminum by Katech Engines. With larger bore and stroke dimensions, this engine pumps out 600 hp and 600lb.-ft.of torque. A T-56 manual six-speed transmission with Centerforce dual-friction clutch feeds power to the rear wheels. The fuel system and engine computer were tweaked to accommodate E85, exhausting spent gases via a Corsa exhaust system.

Every body modification on this car has a purpose, with no nonfunctional styling elements. The C6RS lightweight body is built entirely of carbon fiber to improve aerodynamic efficiency and grip, and measures 1.6 inches wider than the Z06. A computer-controlled Dynamic Ride Height Control suspension system allows the driver to lower the ride to improve handling or increase clearance to negotiate speed bumps and ramps. Center-nut forged aluminum BBS wheels with Michelin radials and massive monoblock Brembo Grand Turismo brakes further enhance vehicle dynamics.

Not surprisingly, there’s been an incredible reaction to the C6RS. Pratt and Miller plan to produce 25 of these Corvettes for 2008, all of which are already spoken for, despite a price tag of about $185,000. It’s actually a pretty small price to pay for a virtually bulletproof supercar, that won’t break the bank with repairs. Over the course of a year, Jay has already driven his C6RS over 6000 miles, compared with his Maclaren F1, which he’s had for 13 years, and only driven 7000 miles. Sadly, these limited production Corvettes will run only on gasoline, since many components on Jay’s car are one-off, and not yet suitable for production.