Porsche Beater: 1960 Devin SS
A few weeks ago, I have the privilege of riding in a Devin D roadster, a car that rides two inches off the ground and is powered by a Porsche Super 90 engine. It was an absolute blast (the owner is actually a reader here) and confirmed that not all handbuilt sports cars are created equal. The Devin was incredibly tight and felt like it was constructed of the same quality you’d find in a 1960s sports car built on a mass-production assembly line. The seller of this 1960 Devin – which I believe to be an SS model, but please correct me if I’m mistaken – notes that he bought it 20 years ago as a project mounted on a Corvette chassis. He’s listed it here on Barn Finds Classifieds following a mandate from his better half to get rid of the car after he lost storage for it.
Now, it’s entirely possible I’ve misidentified which model Devin this is, but the two primary offerings were the SS and the Devin D. The gaping maw between the headlights seems to be a calling card of the SS models, which is what’s driving my guess here. The seller has certainly owned this project for some time, as he estimates it to be between 15 and 20 years since he brought his project car home from eBay. The Devin arrived on not a Volkswagen chassis but that of a 1960s-era Corvette. Today, the Devin has been separated from that chassis and bolted to a 4×8 dolly to make transport easier.
The seller is asking $9,500 for this Devin project, and it’s clear that it’s been in this state for some time. I wouldn’t judge it too harshly based on the appearance of the stripped interior as it’s not as if these were especially complex inside. There were no carpets with extra thick padding, or layers of sound insulation, or eight speakers installed throughout the cabin to drown out the noise of a Porsche flat-six or other hot rod motor planted behind the driver’s head. One thing that shocked me about the D roadster I rode shotgun in was the high-quality feel of the finished product. The Devin felt strong and screwed together well, not at all flimsy. With the floors painted and some period-correct racing buckets installed, this Devin will look the business and ready for backroads or life on the track.
Here’s a picture of the Devin when it showed up in the seller’s driveway after his sight-unseen eBay purchase. The wire wheels were an interesting look, but they’ve since found a new home. Those wheels make the Devin D look like a muscular E-Type, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. The seller’s asking price of $9,500 feels steep for a car that needs complete re-assembly, but he is throwing in free vehicle shipping with that number. I loved my (brief) time as a passenger in the Devin D roadster and I can say, after getting comfortable with being that close to the pavement and to adjacent vehicles in traffic, I wanted one. How would you restore this unfinished Devin?
Comments
Jeff, I’m not 100% certain, but believe the “SS” name was used ONLY for a Devin body mounted on the specific “Irish” tube frame Bill Devin used. Not sure any were sold as kits, which this one obviously was.
If it were mine, I’d treat this Devin to a hood-bulge-ectomy, restoring the front air inlet to its proper shape, and deletion of whatever other doo-dads have been tacked on over the years. A C1 Corvette chassis would do fine if one could be located (so would a Triumph TR or MG frame with, maybe, a nice 283), and would make this a period-correct, attractive and fun ride.
spot on.. +1
I like the idea of putting that body on a TR3 frame but I think the TR3 motor be too high for the front? A 215 aluminum V8 might be the way to go?
The hood bulge is original. Similar to what was on the Ferraris of the era. I have an original Devin SS body shell. Bought it in 1975.
Check out devinspecial.com
Bill Devin built about 29 variations of his basic body design. I think the grille opening is original. I’ve seen this large body style with at least three variations of it.
Love the Corvette grill !
One of the few for sale I’ve seen with the original windshield.
I own one of these projects in nearly the same condition. Always loved the cars but mine is shaping up to be my retirment project. the Devin SS meant Super shillalah and irish fighting stick and were a tube chassis with all corvette running gear and suspension. Devin produced several body styles and lengths different chassis.
I think they only builr 7 true SS cars at an interesting side note
Another interesting side note: in the late 1980s, when I visited Bill Devin at his “retirement” home, he was building a new SS for a customer. As he had saved the body molds, chassis jigs and everything else from his factory, it wasn’t a difficult job.
He also had the molds for a Devin “C” coupe he had intended to put in production. The man was VERY creative.
Danny of Count Kustoms did a fabulous makeover on a 1962 Kellison J6. This Devin Roadster would look great done in the same fashion. Love the body lines. Using some type of high winding small block would really make it sing. You pretty much have a clean slate to design it to make it very appealing once completed.
Buy it, strip off all sellable parts and then list the carcass for a steep price hoping someone bites. At least he didn’t sell the doors, good and decklid off it
Super annoying when ads like this do not identify the geographic location
If you click the link to the classified ad it shows the location as Los Angeles.
That’s the same car Pat Boone drove in the 1962 version of State Fair!
Agree Karl, but the TR3 steering on the early models was kind of tough.
Maybe better on a TR4 TR4A, or TR6 frame, depending on what suspension you want ?
I’m not qualified to make that choice; it would take a lot of measurements and likely need mounts welded in at proper locations. I don’t care for the hood bubble, but the car has a nice look and shape.
GLWTS !
Definetly needs rack and pinion from the TR4 :-)
The real centre-lock wire wheels in the older picture would appear to identify this car as a real SS. That would mean the ultimate chassis to be found on any Devin: the one made in Northern Ireland to classic British sports-racer standards. All the talk about the car being mounted on a Corvette chassis seems to come into conflict with the Devin SS claim. I think this car requires further clarification/identification. If it has the chassis from Northern Ireland, that would make it considerably more valuable, and the sale of those wire wheels would have proven to be a big mistake.
My friend in Porsche Club owned a Devin D with 356 drivetrain. He bought the car in the late ’80s, conferred with Bill Devin, restored and painted it in his garage and ran it on track in Road Course PCA and SCCA events. It was a fun little car but had issues with front end lift at speed.
Few were built and much fewer in the V8 engine configuration using Corvette mechanicals were created. Front end lift on these would be a bit less worrisome with weight bias on front axle rather than rear.
My friend sold his to a fellow in Italy about 10-12 years ago; I hope he is still enjoying it as much or more than what we experienced back in the day.
Great design and light as a feather, they gave good smiles per miles…..
Basically what you are getting for $9,500 is a shell. ROR!!