Is the value of a Callaway car affected in any way if the conversions were done at separate times meaning the supernatural engine upgrade was done in 93' and the coil over conversion was done in 94'. Any info anyone has would really help out a lot right now. As always please let me know about any SLP black widow ZR1's that might be out there for sale.
Callaway question
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*89x2*
Well-known member
No effect on value, as long as it was documented by Callaway Cars.
You need to keep up with your homework. SLP never made a black widow car. That was rippie ;help
- Thread starter
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you got me
Last and only time I saw one was in 95, the owner of a specialty corvette shop had the the 525HP version he raced at Watkins Glen was asking $29,900 I'm kicking myself now, for some reason I burned it into my memory it was SLP but you are right found this.
The Black Widow Project
In December 1992, at the 40th Anniversary Corvette Show in Palm Springs, California, Doug met Gary Cline the LT-5 Project Engineer for MerCruiser. At first they chatted. Then, as the evening grew longer, they started talking about ideas. Rippie listened and thought. He asked, "Whatta you think?" and "What if?" more than a few times. They agreed that the best idea of all would be to do more than talk.
"I think anyone who’s tops in his field wants to see what he’s created be all it can be," says Rippie. Cline, other MerCruiser LT-5 project engineers, and Lotus engineers who were involved in the project knew their engine was capable of higher performance than it had powering the ZR-1 Corvette. Doug Rippie was a kindred spirit. It was decided to work with him to produce a special LT-5 engine, the DRZ-500, also known as the "Black Engine" because each of the DRZ-500 engines produced was painted with special black paint and the "Black Widow" engine, from the nickname given by Jim Van Dorn to the eight DRM-converted ZR-1 Corvettes that are powered by DRZ-500 engines, one of which he owns.
The DRZ-500 engine resulted from the cooperative effort of Rippie, Cline and other MerCruiser engineers, Graham Behm of Lotus Engineering in England and Tim Holland of Lotus Engineering USA, and Chevrolet’s blessing. There were four versions:
405 horsepower DRZ-500s, 1990-92 model LT-5s updated to 1993 specifications
450 horsepower DRZ-500s, 1993 LT-5s, 50-state-legal
475 horsepower DRZ-500s, 50-state-legal
525 horsepower DRZ-500, a full race version
Special precision machining and porting, camshaft installation, and black painting was done at MerCruiser. DRM did the disassembly and assembly as well as calibration and emissions certification. There were only eight DRZ-500 engines produced, between March and July 1993, because production of the LT-5 was due to end in November of that year and time ran out to produce more than eight.
The "Black Widow" ZR-1 s powered by DRZ-500 engines are more than just an examples of why Rippie and his small band of midnight oil-burners are capable of producing. They formed a bridge between the race track and the street for DRM. High performance to Rippie is not only high horsepower. It is a finely balanced combination of power, handling and braking. To match the power of the DRZ-500, Rippie could do nothing less than develop suspension and brake packages for the ZR-1 Corvette with equally outstanding performance characteristics. The results, rave reviews by everybody who’s driven one converted by DRM to be a "Black Widow."
Thanks to Doug Rippie for this info.
Last and only time I saw one was in 95, the owner of a specialty corvette shop had the the 525HP version he raced at Watkins Glen was asking $29,900 I'm kicking myself now, for some reason I burned it into my memory it was SLP but you are right found this.
The Black Widow Project
In December 1992, at the 40th Anniversary Corvette Show in Palm Springs, California, Doug met Gary Cline the LT-5 Project Engineer for MerCruiser. At first they chatted. Then, as the evening grew longer, they started talking about ideas. Rippie listened and thought. He asked, "Whatta you think?" and "What if?" more than a few times. They agreed that the best idea of all would be to do more than talk.
"I think anyone who’s tops in his field wants to see what he’s created be all it can be," says Rippie. Cline, other MerCruiser LT-5 project engineers, and Lotus engineers who were involved in the project knew their engine was capable of higher performance than it had powering the ZR-1 Corvette. Doug Rippie was a kindred spirit. It was decided to work with him to produce a special LT-5 engine, the DRZ-500, also known as the "Black Engine" because each of the DRZ-500 engines produced was painted with special black paint and the "Black Widow" engine, from the nickname given by Jim Van Dorn to the eight DRM-converted ZR-1 Corvettes that are powered by DRZ-500 engines, one of which he owns.
The DRZ-500 engine resulted from the cooperative effort of Rippie, Cline and other MerCruiser engineers, Graham Behm of Lotus Engineering in England and Tim Holland of Lotus Engineering USA, and Chevrolet’s blessing. There were four versions:
405 horsepower DRZ-500s, 1990-92 model LT-5s updated to 1993 specifications
450 horsepower DRZ-500s, 1993 LT-5s, 50-state-legal
475 horsepower DRZ-500s, 50-state-legal
525 horsepower DRZ-500, a full race version
Special precision machining and porting, camshaft installation, and black painting was done at MerCruiser. DRM did the disassembly and assembly as well as calibration and emissions certification. There were only eight DRZ-500 engines produced, between March and July 1993, because production of the LT-5 was due to end in November of that year and time ran out to produce more than eight.
The "Black Widow" ZR-1 s powered by DRZ-500 engines are more than just an examples of why Rippie and his small band of midnight oil-burners are capable of producing. They formed a bridge between the race track and the street for DRM. High performance to Rippie is not only high horsepower. It is a finely balanced combination of power, handling and braking. To match the power of the DRZ-500, Rippie could do nothing less than develop suspension and brake packages for the ZR-1 Corvette with equally outstanding performance characteristics. The results, rave reviews by everybody who’s driven one converted by DRM to be a "Black Widow."
Thanks to Doug Rippie for this info.
SteveBatch
Member
Rippie had Callaway make the coil over suspension units that he sels. (At least the early ones) the top hats on the shocks (top spirng seats) just didn't have scallops/holes drilled in them. other than that , they were Callaway pieces. Callaway put them on the Supercar that Rippie fielded in 1990 (?) and Boris said drove. He liked them and worked out a deal w/ Reeves to supply the coil-over stuff for Rippie.
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