Devin SS, 1957 SS Pictures, News, Reviews, and Info | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Wallpaper, Pricing, Information, History

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This was the first year of the Devin SS and this vehicle is one of 15 produced by Bill Devin. The SS stands for 'Super Shillelagh' as the chassis was made in Ireland.

The car is powered by a Chevy small block V-8 engine with 4-Weber side-draft carburetors, a Moon intake, and is coupled to a 4-speed gearbox. The alternator is attached to the driveshaft for space consideration. This car has inboard disc brakes and is fitted with Jaguar-Ferrari type wheels.

The car has right-hand drive for racing and weighs 1,900 pounds. The car was purchased from Bill Devin in 1988.

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Bill Devin, proprietor of Devin Motors in Los Angeles, was a leading designer in the kit-car business, making high-quality fiberglass body kits for production chassis. In 1957, he was approached by Irish engineer Malcolm MacGregor, who wanted a body kit to fit a steel-tube chassis he had built around a Chevy Corvette V8 engine. They agreed that the chassis would be built in Northern Ireland and then shipped to California to be bodied and trimmed. The resulting Devin SS was well reviewed by the American automotive press. This car is one of 14 built, and has fully independent suspension (deDion rear end) and four-wheel Girling disc brakes. Devin, unlike many others, made his own suspension system and differential housings. The current owner acquired the car from Bill Devin in 1986, in original, unrestored condition. It has been repainted and reupholstered, but it otherwise original.

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.

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Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance	2005 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

1957 Devin SS
Year	1957
Make	Devin
Model	SS
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Production Years for Series	1958 - 1959
Weight	1900 lbs \| 861.8 kg

Performance
Top Speed	160 mph \| 257.4 km/h Similar top speeds

Engine
Engine Configuration	V
Cylinders	8
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	327.00 CU IN. \| 5359.5 cc. \| 5.4 L.
Horsepower	440.00 BHP (323.8 KW)
HP to Weight Ratio	4.3 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter	81.5 BHP / Liter
Compression Ratio	12.5:1
Fuel Feed	Carburetor
	4 Weber Sidedraft carburetors
	Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Standard Transmission
Gears	4
Transmission	Manual

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1957 Devin SS