1957 Chevrolet 150 'Black Widow'

Jul 17

Written By Katelyn McSherry

Based off the iconic ’57 Chevy, the ‘Black Widow’ was a proven NASCAR winner with its fuel injected motor. This specific ‘Black Widow’, known as the Ram Jester, was completed on March 1st, 1957 making it one of the first out of six constructed. Racing was frowned upon after the tragic accident that occurred at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans that killed more than 80 spectators. In turn, manufacturers did not officially support racing teams in the few years following. General Motors created, SEDCO (Southern Engineer Development Company), which allowed them to produce racecars off the books for NASCAR and drag racing in the late 50s and 60s. SEDCO was led by former lead race engineer of Hudson, Vince Piggins, and went on to produce the ‘Black Widows’. Piggins created an informational book, “1957 Chevrolet Stock Car Competition Guide,” on how to create the racecar for other teams to follow when creating their own Chevy 150 racecar.

They were so successful, that they won several races and clinched the 1957 NASCAR Grand National Championship. The Black Widows had a winning formula due to a lightweight body, very similar to the Chevy 150, and powerful 283 fuel-injected engine. The racecars in NASCAR were not that much different than their road going variant at the time. The Black Widows had six-lug wheels, a different exhaust, and a larger gas tank for increased range. With all the winning that they did people thought the150s were unstoppable until May of 1957, when there was a large accident at the Virginia 500. Several spectators were injured, causing General Motors to become anxious and ultimately pull the plug on the SEDCO project. The ‘Black Widows’ dominated the sport so much, that it caused NASCAR to ban fuel injection until 2011! The Ram Jester is now part of the Petersen Collection.

Lent by The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation