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The 1957 Chevrolet “Black Widow” was a race-prepared Chevrolet 150 sedan built for NASCAR competition, not a separate regular-production Chevrolet model. Its defining combination was a relatively light 150 body, a fuel-injected 283 V8 and purpose-built stock-car modifications. Six cars were supplied for SEDCO’s original effort; the broader number of cars later built to Black Widow specifications is unknown.
What was the 1957 Chevy Black Widow?
“Black Widow” describes a 1957 Chevrolet 150 prepared for stock-car racing by SEDCO, or Southern Engineering Development Company. Chevrolet’s 150 was the utility-oriented entry in its passenger-car range; SEDCO turned that foundation into a competition car and published a guide for teams wishing to prepare a 150 to the same general specification. Audrain Auto Museum’s account and the Petersen Automotive Museum’s history describe the cars as a racing effort, rather than a distinct showroom trim.
What made it special?
A light 150 body with a fuel-injected 283
The central idea was to put a 283-cubic-inch V8 with fuel injection into the comparatively light Chevrolet 150. Audrain gives the SEDCO cars’ engine rating as 283 horsepower. That specification describes the SEDCO effort; it should not be assumed for every later car, tribute or conversion called a Black Widow.
Race-focused changes
Audrain identifies six-lug wheels, a different exhaust and a larger fuel tank among the changes from the road-going 150. The result was a purpose-built stock car, not simply a standard sedan with a striking black-and-white paint scheme.
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A blueprint other teams could follow
SEDCO’s 1957 Chevrolet Stock Car Competition Guide set out performance parts and recommended modifications for teams preparing cars. That helped the Black Widow become both a specific SEDCO project and a broader recipe that other teams could emulate. The Northwest Classic Chevy Club history discusses the guide and the uncertainty around cars built beyond SEDCO.
A successful NASCAR season
The SEDCO effort won races and contributed to Chevrolet’s 1957 NASCAR Grand National Championship, according to Audrain. Barrett-Jackson’s 2016 auction history says Buck Baker won 10 races in 1957. That is a season result associated with the driver and racing effort; it does not establish that a particular surviving Black Widow won all, or any, of those races.
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How many 1957 Black Widows were made?
There is no verified all-in production total. The answer depends on whether “Black Widow” means cars supplied to SEDCO, known race-oriented examples, or later cars built by outside teams to a similar specification.
| Figure | What it counts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Six | Black-and-white Chevrolet 150s shipped to SEDCO for preparation | Audrain’s account of the original SEDCO effort; the clearest count for that supply, not a total for every later build. |
| Approximately 12 | Known race-oriented Black Widows | Petersen Automotive Museum’s approximate figure, displayed in 2026; it is not a verified production ledger. |
| 10 cars and two test mules | Rumored SEDCO-built cars and test mules | The Northwest Classic Chevy Club describes this as rumor and says no total is recorded for cars built by outside teams. |
Audrain and Petersen both identify the Ram Jester as one of the original six SEDCO cars. The sources’ figures should not be averaged: they refer to different categories and levels of certainty. The most defensible summary is that six cars were supplied for SEDCO’s original program, approximately 12 race-oriented examples are known, and the total number of cars later built to Black Widow specifications is not established.
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How did the racing program unfold?
Barrett-Jackson’s historical account places the SEDCO cars’ debut at Daytona Beach on February 17, 1957. It describes strong early results and says cars and equipment were distributed among leading drivers after SEDCO closed. Its auction listing also notes that the specific car offered lacked General Motors documentation, so the listing’s narrative is not proof of factory authentication for that or another surviving example.
Audrain links the program’s end to a May 1957 accident at Virginia 500 that injured spectators and heightened GM’s concern. Barrett-Jackson sets the shutdown in the broader aftermath of manufacturers’ agreement to withdraw from racing and gives a June 6 closure instruction. These accounts describe a short-lived program and should not be taken to authenticate any individual car.
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What happened to fuel injection?
A Chevy Hardcore feature reports that NASCAR disallowed fuel injection during the 1957 season and the cars changed to a four-barrel carburetor. The available account supports that season-level description, but not a precise later year when a rules restriction ended.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should buyers interpret a Black Widow claim?
Because the name covers both SEDCO-prepared cars and cars built by other teams to a similar specification, a Black Widow label alone does not establish an individual car’s history. A car’s claimed connection to the original six, its race record and its present-day specification are separate questions. The published histories do not provide a complete chassis-by-chassis ledger, so individual provenance needs its own documentation.
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