1961 Devin Super Sport

350ci Chevrolet V-8 Engine
Holley 4-Barrel Carburetor on Devin Manifold
4-Speed T-10 Manual Transmission
Independent Front and Rear Suspension with Coil Springs
Four-Wheel Disc Brakes

*An exciting example of one of America's best-known postwar sports cars
*Beautiful, highly detailed fiberglass bodywork
*Reliable Chevrolet drivetrain for dependable driving excitement
*Well-preserved older restoration in classic colors

THE DEVIN

The postwar American boom for sports cars, especially exotic and sexy foreign roadsters, collided with the entrepreneurial spirit common among gear-headed young men in the early 1950s. It was a can-do time in which the idea of setting up a shop and building either sports car components, or your own entire sports car, did not seem remotely harebrained, and many people on both coasts attempted to do just that. Few succeeded on a permanent basis, but they left behind some creative, good-looking automobiles, that the world would be less interesting without.

Among these enterprising minds was Bill Devin of California. A racing driver and former dealer who knew how to sell sports cars, Devin had formerly partnered with the well-known Ernie McAfee in an effort to sell Siatas. After that endeavor, he set up a business to build his own automobiles, Devin Enterprises. What he sold were largely custom chassis and bodies, created using what was then the latest high-tech material, fiberglass. Fiberglass allowed virtually anyone with the right tooling to mass-produce a lightweight, adaptable body for virtually any chassis – and thanks to virtually everyone in America buying new automobiles, the market for used chassis was wide-open and provided numerous opportunities. Devin bodies were sleek and graceful, being copied off the Italian sports cars that their manufacturer raced and loved. Numerous variations were produced, at one point some 27 in all, and Devin would become the most successful and largest manufacturer of fiberglass bodies.
The Devin Super Sport or SS was noteworthy in that it was frequently sold as an intact car, rather than as a kit, with some 15 examples built. Nonetheless, Devin did supply a handful of SS's, perhaps no more than three, in disassembled form, and others were frequently rebuilt over the years with new drivetrains by successive generations of owners. Modification was never a sin with a Devin; the building of a car to suit one's own desires was the marque's entire ethos.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

The Devin SS offered here is an example of one that was sold as a kit by Bill Devin, and assembled by a private owner to his or her liking. The body, which is in very good overall condition after only two owners in the last four decades, features covered headlights that give it a special Ferrari 250 TR-esque feeling, while the hood's hidden hinges and locks give a super-clean look. It is mounted on a 2x3-in. Devin boxed tubular frame, mounted with 1961 Jaguar front and rear suspension components; there are coil-over shocks and disc brakes with Dunlop calipers at all four corners, with the rear brakes being inboard.

Providing motivation is a hardy Chevrolet small-block V-8, featuring an extremely rare Devin-stamped intake manifold crowned by a 650CFM Holley four-barrel carburetor and Mallory distributor. Header exhaust and side pipes provide a wonderful exhaust note that is nonetheless not too threatening to the ears. The rear end is a 1961 Jaguar 3.23 unit, while the transmission is a tried-and-true GM T-10 four-speed box, dated 08/09/1961 on the side case.

Additional charming appointments include the original Moto-Lita steering wheel and lap belts, as well as road equipment including full headlights with high beams, tail and brake lights, and turn signals, allowing for easy use on modern streets.

This is a thrilling machine to drive and great-looking, to boot – still very much the dream that Bill Devin sold his customers in the heady golden age of the fiberglass roadster.