THE CORVETTE C6RS IS JUST 1 OF 7, AND OF COURSE JAY LENO HAS ONE

Over the years General Motors has built some pretty special versions of the Chevrolet Corvette. Whether you’re a bigger fan of the rare classics or the modern performers, we think you’ll agree that this Corvette C6RS built by Pratt and Miller may just outshine most of what has come out of Detroit over the last six decades of the American Sports Car.

Featured on the latest coronavirus edition of Jay Leno’s Garage, this 2006 Corvette C6RS is probably the coolest car you’ve never heard of. The car was built by Pratt and Miller, who you may recognize as the folks who build the cars for Corvette Racing. This Corvette C6RS was born from their experience building the C6.R, and features a lot of the company’s racing technology.

The car started life as a C6 Z06, before undergoing a dramatic transformation. Pratt and Miller tore down the donor cars and completely re-engineered the suspension and bodywork for improved performance. All of the bodywork besides the door skins, the roof panel, and the rear hatch are made from carbon, adding 1.5 inches to the car’s width. The massive louvers on the fenders are totally functional, as are all of the brake ducts and scoops you see throughout the car.

Under the hood sits an extremely unique 8.2L V8 engine built by none other than Katech, who also happened to build the racing motors for Corvette Racing’s Le Mans winning run. It makes over 600 horsepower, and it mated to a blueprinted Tremec T56 six-speed manual gearbox. While 600 horsepower doesn’t seem like a lot today, it certainly was back in 2006 when this car made its debut at SEMA. Despite its massive displacement, the Corvette C6RS has never failed California’s stringent emissions testing, according to Leno.

Pratt and Miller built just seven examples of the Corvette C6RS, with Jay’s car being the first of the run. While it’s probably hard to put a price on one of these machines today, back in 2006 it carried a price of $185,000 plus the donor C6 Z06. A lot of money no doubt, but for that you get what is essentially a street legal Le Mans champion with more horsepower. There’s even an upgraded interior that took 150 hours to complete, correcting one of the biggest gripes people had with the C6 Corvette as a whole.

The Corvette C6RS is one of the coolest examples of America’s Sports Car that exists. It’s a strikingly good looking car, especially as new cars continue to employ busier and busier designs. It’ll be a legend one day, that much is for certain.