1955 Devin 356 Special

Bill Devin was the founder of Devin Enterprises, a company that primarily built fiberglass body-kit conversions, along with several complete automobiles. Founded in 1954, the early products used Devin-designed chassis clothed with fiberglass bodies produced from a mold of a Deutsch-Bonnet. Known as the Devin-Panhard, it was powered by a 745cc two-cylinder Pnahard boxer engine, modified by Devin with motorcycle-sourced overhead camshaft cylinder heads driven by a synchronous toothed belt, making it the first such engine with a timing belt.

The Devin-Panhard was followed by the creation of fiberglass bodies built to rest atop various sports cars' chassis. Offered in 27 different sizes, Devin would become the largest and most successful manufacturer of fiberglass bodies in the world. His Devin Super-Sport, of SS, was equipped with a Chevrolet small-block V8 engine with a unique fiberglass body. The Devin D followed, with many mechanical components sourced from Volkswagen and Porsche. The Devin C had a new chassis, the same body as the Devin D, and was powered by the six-cylinder boxer engine from the Corvair. The hardtop version was dubbed the Devin GT.

The Devin 356 Specialbegan life as a 356 Pre-A Speedster, but following a crash in 1956, it was given lightweight fiberglass coachwork by Devin. At the time, Devin's bodies were for front-engine, water-cooled chassis, so the creation of this body required numerous alterations.

This Devin-Porsche raced on West Coast tracks during the late 1950s and was street driven during the early 1960s.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2018