Oct 10, 2015 • Name That Car Stories • 14 Comments
Mystery Car: Could It Be A Devin?
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From Blaine S. – So I bought this… The guy I got it from said it was a Devin, but on the back side of the trunk there’s a laminated paper that reads “Moderncraft Fiberglass LTD”. What do you guys think??? It’s on a VW frame. Old one too. Has roller gas pedal also. This has sat for many years and I’m amazed that the fiberglass looks like new. It was never primed or painted after it was bolted to the VW frame. The previous owner had many VW projects on the go. My plans are to either fix it and sell or sell as-is eventually. Time will tell.
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Comments
No Devin. Lotus?
Neither a Devin nor a Lotus. I’m sure Geoff Hacker at Forgotten Fiberglass would know, though!
Thank you ..Geoff has been very helpful….. the car though is more likely Canadian
Is that a 1955 Studebaker Commander back glass being used as a windshield?
Yes it is, the rear window.
My first thought was that this car body looks a lot like an Elva Courier. However after closer inspection of photos, there are some differences that make me think this may be a kit car based on a VW platform that was intended to look similar to an Elva.
Some differences I noticed are the side of this car is smooth and the Elva has a sharp break line on its side and the wheel wells have different shapes from the Elva’s. There’s also a recess on the rear for a US license plate, and the Elva was 60’s Brit car that would not have had the recess molded into the fiberglass.
FYI – the Elva had a front engine (MGA), RWD drivetrain, mounted to a welded tube chassis. Most were raced, but some were spec’d as street cars.
I was unable to locate an Elva/VW kit. Here are some links that show what the Elva Courier looked like.
http://bringatrailer.com/2015/08/22/unusual-street-spec-1963-elva-courier-mk3/
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/default.aspx?carID=11662&i=4#menu
Good luck with your build.
Yes… contact Geoff Hacker.. he knows!
Have a look here if you want to work out the age of that VW ‘pan, I think the steering wheel dates it as post 1955 anyway. Roller throttle pedal went out in ’58.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/chassisdating.php
Not a Devin, I have a Devin with a ladder type vw racing frame, supposed to be a Porsche setup…..
This car was built by Alfred Behrens. I am his son, Norman. Hopefully this solves the mystery!
Built in the early 60s. I’m not sure if it pre-dates the famous multi-million dollar Ferrari from that era. He was a Canadian Bechtel engineer. He hand-built the original car in styrofoam in the driveway with his wife, and five ended up being built using fibreglass (Moderncraft LTD, his company, no longer exists).
One of the cars was a hard-top.
Norman, I recently inherited this car. Could we get in contact?
Hi Pat,Sure what’s on your mind?
Sure Pat, what’s on your mind? Sorry I don’t see my replies being posted, sorry if multiple appear
Could you message me by email?