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1956 Devin TR news, pictures, and information

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This car is an example of an American-built special. Bill Devin was a southern California aerospace engineer who, in the mid 1950s, built fiberglass bodies as kits, rolling chassis and complete turn-key cars. Probably only one fourth of all the bodies sold ever were completed and actually ran. Many were built as race cars, such as this example.

This car was built by enthusiasts in San Diego in about 1956. They used a Triumph TR3 chassis and drivetrain. It was raced in southern California and later became a street car. It eventually ended up in a barn in Atascadero, where the present owner found it in 2001 and restored it to its previous racing condition. The car now regularly races with General Racing, HUSA and VARA.
Bill Devin built a car that had the style, sophistication, and performance of a Ferrari but sold for less. The prancing horse demanded a high price due to its pedigree; Devin decided to exploit the market and offer a nearly identical vehicle at an affordable price.

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.

The fiberglass Devin bodies were popular and very versatile, coming in atleast 26 different body sizes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2008
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