Even parked out in the street, the bright red 1977 Corvette with the blower sticking through the hood looks like it’s speeding.

That’s the way the owner likes it.

And if that isn’t enough, check out that license plate: “URSLOOW.” Yeah, the artist formerly known as Prince sang about “Little Red Corvette,” but it’s Rio Ranchoan Jack Stephens who puts the pedal to the metal when he climbs behind the wheel.

“Theoretically, the top speed is 186 (mph),” Stephens, 53, says, although he’s never pushed it much beyond 100.

You’ve probably seen it tooling around Rio Rancho, motoring through the Jemez, racing at the drag strip. If you can get your hands on the July issue of Corvette Magazine, you’ll see it in print.

Or, head to the annual Park ‘n the Park Saturday, which is where Jack and Jill (seriously) Stephens will be with Jack’s shiny (and expensive) toy.

About 200 cars will be displayed at Haynes Park for the eighth annual event, which is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

It’s one of his favorite days of the year, although he won’t necessarily be sitting next to his car all day.

Heck, Stephens will spend a good portion of the day strolling around the park, “talking to the other gear heads,” checking out other guys’ shiny toys and swapping stories.

“It brings in people from all over. We’ve got cars (coming) from Colorado,” he said. “It brings in a lot of people and it’s a family oriented event. Everybody has a good time.”

Stephens’ story began in Pennsylvania, which Stephens left to head to New Mexico to finish a machinist’s apprenticeship and obtain a degree in architecture from the University of New Mexico when he was 21.

“It’s a pretty useless but it opened some doors,” he said.

One of those “doors” was establishing a fondness for the Land of Enchantment — he said he’s moved here five times — and eventually landing him a job at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, where he’s a technologist.

Having a well-paying job helps him pay for his hobby. Stephens builds his own cars and does all of the work except for the painting.

“My first car was a 1956 Chevy. I had it when I was 15,” he recalled. “My dad helped me build it. My dad built racecars. He knew Mario Andretti — he came to the house once.”

Stephens said while other kids in the neighborhood were playing Little League, he was gaining the knowledge and expertise that would lead to his lifelong love for cars.

“I’ve been building cars my whole life,” he said. “This is like number 25.”

Stephens said he’s built “a whole lot of Camaros” and the ‘Vette has been his for about eight years.

“It was a typical old car,” he said, noting the original list price was about $7,000.

You won’t be able to try that car away from Stephens at any price now, he said. “Those cars are going for about $65,000 (now). … I’ve had two or three people wanting to buy it. It’s not for sale.”

It’s been quite a labor of love, as this hobby is for most of its builders.

“The mid-70s (Corvettes) weren’t put together very well,” he said. “Mine has been radically modified.”

To him, that means dropping a 350 cubic inch motor under the hood, except for the hole cut for the blower, which generates about 600 horsepower.

By the way, it’s also quite the gas-guzzler. Stephens said, “If I take it easy, (I get) maybe eight miles to the gallon. … If I’m pushing it, six miles per gallon. But I only drive it about 2,500 miles a year.”

Stephens said a recent outing on the drag strip saw him turn in a time of 12.9 seconds to complete the quarter-mile, with a top speed of 107 mph.

“It’s really built for a street car,” he noted. “All I did is spin the tires.”

He has a pair of “slicks” sitting in his garage, but prefers to be able to drive the car to and from the drag strip n and never hauls his ‘Vette on a trailer.

As a matter of fact, that’s how he became aware of what was then the Westside Cruisers, and their annual car show in Rio Rancho, three years ago.

Stephens said he had parked the ‘Vette at a local store when Park ‘n the Park organizer Richard Figved saw him and said, ‘You need to join our club.”

The two spoke, Stephens learned about the club and the show, and he’s been showing his car ever since.

You might see Stephens if you arrive early at the park. He and his son Mike, a Rio Rancho High School senior committed to the U.S. Army soon, will be helping to park the entries as they arrive.

“That’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Also expected to be a lot of fun will be Stephens’ next project: finishing Mike’s Camaro when he begins basic training.

“He knows exactly what he wants. He’ll be pleased,” he predicted.

Stephens knows exactly what he wants, or at least, what he’d want if he could have any car out there: “a 2008 new Corvette ZR1. It has a top speed of 220, costs over $100,000 and they’re only going to make a couple thousand a year. It’ll be a collector car.”

Of course, that’s what Stephens has now, smiling as he remembers someone telling him, “Jack, you have built the perfect high school Corvette.”