While out at the La Verne Cool Cruise, I ran into two Black Widows sitting right in the middle of all the activities. The roadster pickup in the background is the recreation of the Monogram plastic model brought to life by the crew at Hollywood Hot Rods (be sure to check out our September 2009 issue for the whole story and photos). The '23 Ford turtle deck here was most likely the first Black Widow and was built around 1952 by Wally Olson of Fresno, California. It was later reworked by Bill Scott and won many awards through the early Sixties. The roadster recently underwent a two year restoration to its original condition by Rusty Ranch Restoration.
A few of the details include a 274ci '42 Mercury Flathead, '39 Lincoln Zephyr trans, '34 Ford rearend with a Halibrand quick-change and torque tube, '39 Ford hydraulic brakes and 16x5 wheels, and a '37 Ford tube axle.