1962 Devin V8 Project
This derelict Devin has seen better days. The current owner has been in possession of the car since 1976 and they claim is was pretty fast back then. With a 283 V8 mounted in a tubular chassis and fiberglass body, we bet it was. Unfortunately, the car was left outside in the backyard and has since fallen into disrepair. It may still be worth saving though. A special thanks goes to Mike B for sending this one in.
Devin built bodies for people who wanted Ferrari performance, but couldn’t afford it. This particular car never saw the track even though it was well enough equipped for it with a V8, Cadillac 3-speed, Lincoln rear end, and rack and pinion steering.
The chassis is claimed to have been built to original Devin spec and it actually looks solid in the photos. As long as there is no major rust or fiberglass damage to repair, this might actually be a pretty straight forward project. Find it here on Atlanta’s craigslist.
This 1959 Devin SS over at Fantasy Junction could provide some much needed inspiration for the endeavor. This car has been raced extensively and carries the monumental price tag of a quarter million dollars. Our backyard find will never carry the pedigree of this car, but there is no reason it could not be outfitted in a similar fashion. Well, we can always dream…
Comments
Looks rough!
I see 2 major cracks in the body & I would expect that there are more cracks in places that you can’t easily see. (…body mounts, hinge points, etc.)
I’d be concerned about the condition of the chassis, & I’d want to inspect it up on a rack before shelling out that kind of cash for what looks to be a complete redo! Might be worthwhile to check that the chassis is straight, square, and free of any significant rust.
WHY would anyone leave a classic like this parked outside under a $20 tarp??
“DOH!!”
How much would something like that sell for ?
19K…………….really?………….It is a kit car and I don’t care what spin people want to put on it.
Sitting in pine needles……………I am sure the inside of the frame is just fine. :(
Well this one looks much better then the one a few weeks ago, this one even has a real chassis. Still wouldn’t go for it, but I guess I’m not a Devin fan, or a Devin fan that is this far gone.
Cracks in the body, looks like the rear wheel wells have been cut out towards the back, thats strange. This guys owned it since 1976 and let it turn into this and he say’s it deserves to be restored to concourse condition. why didn’t he think of that before he let it turn into JUNK!!! Oh and he didn’t have enough time to finish it because he had to many other projects, come on. $19,500, this guy is on some good drugs. But the sad thing is someone will buy this, thats why car prices are so high, i hate to say this but this is at best a parts car, a parts car for what I don’t know. SO SAD!!!!!
Yikes. Love to see it back on the road but think its way too far gone.
Classic lines but I wouldn’t offer him 25% of what he is asking.
I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF DEVIN AND WOULDN’T TOUCH THAT ONE BUT THE INSPIRATION PICTRED CAR IS ANOTHER STORY..
Will make a fun car…fibreglass is easy to work and the chassis too if straight. I d rather tackle this than some unibody car like a rusty Healey (ouch)…Everything is in the open…..less chance for the shock of the tin worm! And qualifies for vintage events and much rarer than a cobra clown…I mean clone…
@FRED: There’s this neat thing called a search engine, of which Google is just one, that runs on the internet. Just enter “Devin cars” and read away.
This will be a straight forward build with a great car for your efforts.
the devin in question was mine since 1976.it was bought from the neighbor of the original builder tootie howell who along with his brother built at home.the frame was hand made from box and tubular metal using hand tools.this car was shown in the first “world of wheels” at lakewood fairgrounds atlanta,ga. early 1960’s.orig engine was a 283 chevy v8 w/11to1 pop up pistons and had 6x 2brl intake when i bougth it.the original eng was blown up and replaced w/327,the original trans was a 1937 cad la salle w/lincoln zephyr rear cut to inboard drum brakes and half shafts simular to vette or jag,the car had rack and pinion steering and mcphersion strutts,very advanced for 1962. this was my dream car for years i hoped to complete it but 2 wives and 5 kids later i regretfully gave in and sold it to a restorer in va. who intends to restore it to concourse condition. i hope to see it at peeble beach some day!!