The Devin SS

[Jive-Bomber]

Bill Devin was once described as the "The Enzo Ferrari of Okie Flats", but in reality he was a hot rodder, just like you or me. He just like things that went fast, and looked good. Devin started buildin...

To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.

[robt500]

The Devins are so cool. From www.race-cars.com: Originally street titled in Indiana in 1959. Restored by Jim McHenry with later work done by Lalinsky Engineering. 1940 Ford frame with 9" Ford rear axle and solid front axle from period; 4-bar suspension front and rear. Boxed and reinforced frame. Lalinsky built 297 cid Chevy with Hilborn injection - extremely reliable & powerful no-expense spared motor. Vertex magneto. Accusump. Close ratio ST10 transmission. Halon fire system. Engine has 8 events since being built - in excellent condition. Ford 11' x 3 1/2" drum brakes. Steel wheels.

[MCINK]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ighlight=devin

[CrazyUncleJack]

You just mailing this one in? What's with the vagueness of the article? Your dad had one? Give us some more tech details! Some examples of races and where they placed. Maybe some more history of the builder?

Sheesh man! It's a sweet car, don't be such a tease!

[Jeff Norwell]

That's beautiful Jay.

[73roundlight]

A freind of mine dad's just found a unmolested shell which he is making ready to race in SCCA. It will probably have a SB in it with a Jag rear. It is a very cool car, and definitely put together by a hot rodder, then and now.

[JeffreyJames]

Wow!!! What a find!!!

Pretty cool car but it's got a Chevy Engine....yuk!!! Just kidding I love it! You may as well as those old pics to the Early Chevy V8 thread I started too!

[DrJ]

I think the most significant thing he did was to drive overhead cams with timing belts instead of chains when "everyone else" said it wouldn't work.
Now it's the industry standard!

[Mr48chev]

In the early 80's I had one of those bodies in the raw fiberglass I am in the process of trying to buy it back from the guy I sold it to as he hasn't done anything with it and I finally figured out how to work fiberglass while working on my boat.

They sold for a pretty low price when they were new but they are the last word in bare bones body as the shell is all you get with no extras.

[296ardun]

The Devin I remember the best was a modified sports car run by Denny Weinberg...(at least I remember it as a Devin, around '59?). He ran a Potvin-blown Chrysler, which somehow fit in the engine room...ran really well at San Gabriel, etc...anyone else remember it?

[duste01]

MMMNNNNnnnnnn, tastey.

[Unclee]

Looks like anything bigger than a small block of some kind would cut into the footroom!

[-Brent-]

Originally Posted by CrazyUncleJack

You just mailing this one in? ...
Sheesh man! It's a sweet car, don't be such a tease!

Yeah, Jive-Bomber, I'd love to read more.

[Jimbo17]

Back around 1999 I was in a restoration shop in Oldmar, Florida and they were just taking the mold off of a body and when I looked close they told me it was a Devin.

Not sure how they received the mold but it sure looked good.

They told me that they number each one they make. I don't think they make very many of them.

The name of the restoration shop was Special Cars Only and they are still in business turning out real high end work.

The restoration work went from street rods to real vintage old cars.

One day a very large transporter showed up with a vintage race car from France and I asked them if it was there for a restoration and they told me they had restored the car about 6 years ago and then it was shipped back to France for more years of vintage car races.

The car was back for another restoration after 6 years of road racing.

Jimbo

Jimbo

[HELLBILLY]

I have always loved these cars!
I think Devin borrowed Jim Orrs Scaglietti-bodied Ermini 1100 to pull a mold off of, basic body sold for about $295.00 in the 1950s.
I think Jive Bomber will tell you that these bodies were very THICK and well made.
You could get them in wheelbases from 78 to 106 and tread widths from 40 to 52 inches to accommodate about any engine or drivetrain you wanted.
But the complete cars..... ohhhh now thats a different story!
VERY RARE indeed to find one, (not many made, 15?) folks you are looking at something very special from the 1950s.
I want one! HELL I WANT THAT ONE!

[with.disdain]

I once wrenched on a D-model Devin with Porsche/VW running gear. It was a beautiful machine. It's one of those classic cars that seems most at home on a track with numbers painted on the doors. It also looks likely to go airborne at anything over highway speed. That car burned a place for itself deep into my brain.

Once I'm Leno-rich (kind of like Oprah-rich but with different priorities), it will be mine.

For some reason the SS model escaped my attention. Thanks for the post!

Brian.

[hotrodtom]

[ D-model Devin with Porsche/VW running gear. -- Brian

I know where there's a D-model sitting all grown up in weeds and vines, with a flat four of some sort. It's been sitting outside a long time in South Texas, and I'd be afraid the 'glass might be kind of brittle and flaky. It's in front of a garage, and I drove up to look at it, but nobody paid me any mind. It seems to have been forgotten. I'll check if you want.
Fearless

[Jimmy B]

Dean Moon's Moonbeam Devin

[redlinetoys]

Brilliant looking car and a brilliant performer too I am sure. Turned my crank and had to jump right on and say so!

[gnichols]

Not to get all political or dramatic on ya, I love these kinds of cars and designers (and oval racers, too) because you can trace the evolution of hot rodding thru their higher-tech adventures and designs in them. These guys started out with the stuff they had at hand and made it go faster, get lower, get more streamlined, stop better, corner better, use better metals, etc., etc.. Their quest for speed, their craftsmanship, their eagerness to engage new ideas and technology is what led them eventually build such seemingly O/T - anti-HAMB vehicles. Good on all of them - guys like Shelby, Gurney, Kurtis, Miller, Hall, Watson, to name a few of the 100s of folks who did it their way. Gary