1959 SS Special  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
1958 Devin SS news, pictures, and information | ||
| Tweet | ||
 |  |  | Roadster Chassis Num: SR2-06 |
| Sold for $247,500 at 2006 RM Auctions. | |||
Bill had a history of racing that included a win at the first Pebble Beach race in 1949 while driving a modified Crosley Hot Shot. Later he entered the fiberglass body business where he sold hundreds of lightweight but durable bodies at just under $300 a piece. Near the close of the 1950's, his company was producing nearly 100 bodies per week and shipping them throughout the world.
Irishman Malcom MacGregor approached Devin with a sports car that he had built. It was complete without a body. Devin was impressed with the design and soon chassis development was taking place in Ireland. The rolling chassis were then shipped to Devin in Elmonte, California where he would finish the assembly. It included an independent suspension in the front and a De Dion tube setup in the rear. Steering was through a rack-and-pinion unit. 12 inch Girling disc brakes provided ample stopping power while the Dunlop wire wheels held the car firmly in place under heavy cornering.
Around fifteen chassis were sent to Devin who finished them with Chevrolet V8 power, Borg Warner transmission, chromed exhaust pipes, and lightweight bodies. Ferrari's of the day were fetching around $12,000 while a comparable Devin racer cost just under $6000.
On the racing circuit the vehicles quickly proved their potential. One of the Devin racers was driven by Pete Woods who won the C-modified Championship. Many of the others were converted into road friendly vehicles and purchased by customers who were looking for a car that could get them noticed.
Road & Track got their hands on one and recorded a seven second zero-to-sixty time with the quarter mile in 14 seconds. Top speed was just over 130 mph.
The example shown carries chassis SR2-06 and has no known period racing history. It is believed that this is one of the road cars. It was found in a barn in California and has since had a complete frame-up restoration. In recent times it has been entered in the Monterey Historic Races, Coronado Festival, and the Wine Country classic.
It is powered by a 339 cubic-inch Chevrolet V8 engine with Rochester fuel injection and produces 375 horsepower. It is matted to a Borg Warner T-10 four-speed manual gearbox.
At the 2006 RM Auction in Monterey, CA it was expected to sell between $285,000 - $385,000 with no reserve. The winning bidder found a bargain at $247,500.
By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2007
 |  |  | Roadster Chassis Num: SR 4-9 |
In 1958 Devin built the Devin SS, a dual purpose sports car with Chevy V8 power. Like his first car, the SS was inventive. The car was built on a tube chassis which Devin sourced from engineer Malcolm MacGregor of Northern Ireland - giving the car deep European roots. Although Devin's initial idea was to build the best sports car possible, some found their way tot he racetrack. In fact, Pete Woods won the 1959 Cal Club C-Modified Championship in a Devin SS.
Devin SS #SR 4-9 was raced at the 2006 Monterey Historic Races by Andy Porterfield who was the original Devin factory driver in the late 1950's. Porterfield is also the winningest driver in SCCA history.
 |  |  | Roadster |
With over 300 horsepower propelling the 1800 pound Devin/Chevrolets, Specials were potent. One achieved 0 - 60 in 4.4 seconds and another reached 202.72 MPH at Bonneville. This level of performance made Devin Specials competitive road racers well into the 1960s.
There were 15 Devin SS models built at the DEVIN factory in El Monte, California between 1957 and 1959. These cars were sold as complete cars ready to race or for street use.
The rolling chassis with a 92-inch wheelbase were built in Belfast, Ireland. The front suspension was fabricated with equal length parallel A-arms, Coil-over springs/shocks were fitted between the A-arms with 13-inch Girling disc brakes. The rear axle was located by a pair of parallel trailing arms on each side with a 3-inch de Dion tube connecting the rear hubs and disc brakes that are mounted inboard.
The chassis were shipped to California for completion by adding a stock 283-cubic-inch Corvette motor, T10-4speed Corvette rear end. The bodies were molded from fine translucent tan fiberglass and placed on the frame.
The DEVIN's raced successfully in SCCA C-modified class against Ferrari's, Lister's, and Maserati's.
For more information and related vehicles, click hereThe rolling chassis with a 92-inch wheelbase were built in Belfast, Ireland. The front suspension was fabricated with equal length parallel A-arms, Coil-over springs/shocks were fitted between the A-arms with 13-inch Girling disc brakes. The rear axle was located by a pair of parallel trailing arms on each side with a 3-inch de Dion tube connecting the rear hubs and disc brakes that are mounted inboard.
The chassis were shipped to California for completion by adding a stock 283-cubic-inch Corvette motor, T10-4speed Corvette rear end. The bodies were molded from fine translucent tan fiberglass and placed on the frame.
The DEVIN's raced successfully in SCCA C-modified class against Ferrari's, Lister's, and Maserati's.
| Corvette Shines in the Big Apple | |
 | All-new Corvette Stingray comes to New York City 60 years to the day after Motorama debut 2013-01-16 Sixty years ago tomorrow, spectators lined New York City's posh Park Avenue, waiting to get a glimpse of the ground-breaking Chevrolet Corvette on display at the General Motors' Motorama show. On Thursday, the Corvette will be back in The Big Apple, marking the historic milestone with the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The all-new Corvette Stingray debuted earlier...[Read more...] |
| Corvette's Chassis Innovations Refined on the Race Track | |
 | Zora Arkus-Duntov's racing-bred development legacy continues to improve Corvette It's been said that racing improves the breed, and when it comes to the Chevrolet Corvette, nearly six decades of checkered flags are the proof. As Corvette marks its 60th anniversary in 2013, the design of the chassis, suspension and other drivetrain features are rooted in the rigors of competition. 'Candidly, Corvette was not a high-performance car until Zora Arkus-Duntov fitted it with a V-8, and be...[Read more...] |
| 1967 Can-Am Road America: The Beginning of the 'Bruce and Denny Show' | |
 | While Formula One will be forever considered the pinnacle of motorsport, from a period between 1966 and 1986 there existed a series that would likely be the closest to 'anything goes' as any motor racing series could truly get. Based upon the FIA Group 7 cars but allowed to showcase unlimited engine sizes and unfettered aerodynamics, the Can-Am cars would have to be considered the pinnacle of motorsport technology and power of their era. And for more than a couple of years there would be one tea...[Read more...] |
| Carroll Shelby, Ford Family for More Than Half a Century | |
 | Carroll Shelby was a member of the Ford family for the better part of 60 years, producing stunning performance vehicles from concepts to production models. He once said his energy and passion for performance products were always strongest when he was working with Ford. Shelby most recently collaborated with the company on the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang, the most powerful production V8 in the world. Working with SVT engineers at Sebring and the Arizona Proving Grounds, at times he drov...[Read more...] |
| Vintage Racing Ushers In The 2012 Season At Road America | |
 | It has been 62 years since racers tore through the streets of this tiny village about 60 miles north of Milwaukee. Still, every spring you would swear that the town speed limit doesn't exist when the sounds of historic racecars from days gone by seem to echo throughout the hillside. May 18-20 the Spring Vintage Weekend returns to Road America and kicks-off the start of a summer full of racing, from vintage and historic cars to motorcycles and even NASCAR. Racing came to Elkhart Lake in 1950...[Read more...] |
| Similar Vehicles | |
 | 1958 Sadler Meyer Special |
| Similar Automakers | |
| Bocar | Byers |
| Glasspar | Kurtis |
| Mysterion | Victress |
| Devin: 1951-1960 |
| Similar Automakers |
| Other models by Devin |
| C D Panhard SS |
| 1959 SS Special |
