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From Jim Van Dorn:
Calling on Black Widow ZR-1s
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
94conv.
Well-known member
Are the Black Widow ZR-1s the ones that had the black crackle finish on the manifold and like 450 or 475 hp? Dont have one or know anyone that does but just curious about the background of a vette called black widow.
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WB9MCW
Well-known member
94conv. If you go to the DRM site I do believe there is a complete story on them there. There is one owner who hangs ont on the ZR-1 net/reg. who has one! but that is the only guy I know of.
here are two pics I have of the actual BW engine---
I went to the DRM site and found this one---
Frank from Indiana. 1993 ZR-1 Black Widow #4. This car has the Black 475hp DRZ500 LT-5 engine which was produced in a cooperative effort between DRM, Mercruiser and Lotus. This was all done with the blessing and supervision of Chevrolet. Only 8 were made. This is ZR-1 serial number 153. It has race cams, ported and polished plenum, Borla exhaust, CoilOver Suspension. 30mm front sway bar, HD clutch, 4.09 gear, MSD ignition, remote fans, Fikse wheels and only has 7000 miles on the odometer. My car has been featured in "Heart of the Beast", "Corvette Milestones" and in "Motor Trend"
I found that I had the story on my puter after all--here ya go---
The Black Widow Project
In December 1992, at the 40<SUP>th</SUP> 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.
<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" o
referrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><v
h o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f"></vh><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id=_x0000_s1026 style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; Z-INDEX: 1; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 187.5pt; POSITION: absolute; HEIGHT: 161.25pt; mso-wrap-distance-left: 6pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 6pt; mso-position-horizontal: left; mso-position-vertical-relative: line" o:allowoverlap="f" alt="Black Widow engine #4" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="black_widow_engine_small" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Owner/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata><?xml:namespace prefix = w ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice
ord" /><wrap type="square"></wrap></v:shape>
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
________________________________________________________________________
I see while I was putting this together Rob beat me to the punch and already has a very nice write up on the project and on Jim VD as well---
here are two pics I have of the actual BW engine---
I went to the DRM site and found this one---
Frank from Indiana. 1993 ZR-1 Black Widow #4. This car has the Black 475hp DRZ500 LT-5 engine which was produced in a cooperative effort between DRM, Mercruiser and Lotus. This was all done with the blessing and supervision of Chevrolet. Only 8 were made. This is ZR-1 serial number 153. It has race cams, ported and polished plenum, Borla exhaust, CoilOver Suspension. 30mm front sway bar, HD clutch, 4.09 gear, MSD ignition, remote fans, Fikse wheels and only has 7000 miles on the odometer. My car has been featured in "Heart of the Beast", "Corvette Milestones" and in "Motor Trend"
I found that I had the story on my puter after all--here ya go---
The Black Widow Project
In December 1992, at the 40<SUP>th</SUP> 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.
<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" oreferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><vh o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f"></vh><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id=_x0000_s1026 style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; Z-INDEX: 1; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: 187.5pt; POSITION: absolute; HEIGHT: 161.25pt; mso-wrap-distance-left: 6pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 6pt; mso-position-horizontal: left; mso-position-vertical-relative: line" o:allowoverlap="f" alt="Black Widow engine #4" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="black_widow_engine_small" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Owner/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata><?xml:namespace prefix = w ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeord" /><wrap type="square"></wrap></v:shape>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
________________________________________________________________________
I see while I was putting this together Rob beat me to the punch and already has a very nice write up on the project and on Jim VD as well---
94conv.
Well-known member
Thanks for the link, Rob and the info, I remember reading in corvette fever a long time ago about the black engines so the article was a real connect the dots for me. That maroon ZR1 above is beautiful. Fast and classy, cant beat it.
B
Brett
Guest
Wow, talk about a dream car...
Dark Metallic Red is my favorite 'vette color, and a black widow ZR-1 to boot!
Dark Metallic Red is my favorite 'vette color, and a black widow ZR-1 to boot!
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Brett: I don't think that car is dark metallic red?? All 40th ZR-1's were Ruby Red, A cool color but definately different than dark metallic red. I agree that the Black Widow ZR's are a dream car! They don't seem to change owners often. 
B
Brett
Guest
Brett: I don't think that car is dark metallic red?? All 40th ZR-1's were Ruby Red, A cool color but definately different than dark metallic red. I agree that the Black Widow ZR's are a dream car! They don't seem to change owners often.
Ah, you are right. Hard to tell because it's a pretty dark picture. Both are great colors!
WB9MCW
Well-known member
My first vette was a DR Met paint job and when I had it next to a RR 40th they were very close in color but there was a ever so slight difference---mainly the metalflake--but u had to be close to see it!
BlackWidow#2
Member
Usually I'm checking out the Callaways here on the CAC, but I guess I'd better check here too!
WB9MCW
Well-known member
one down 6 to go! wonder what JVD has to tell you guys abt the BW news?
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