The Devin Special is a serious sports car. It has a tube frame, lightweight fiberglass body, aluminum interior, complete instrumentation, individual windscreens, functional hoodscoop, aluminum headrest, “eggcrate” grille, quick-fill fuel cap and sport mirrors. The Devin is finished in white and blue which represented American racing colors of the period; such as seen on the respected Cunningham team.

This exciting open cockpit two-seater was produced by Devin Enterprises in El Monte, California. This particular car is powered by a Chevrolet 283-cid V-8 engines with dual Carter AFB carburetors with an original Bill Devin dual four-barrel aluminum intake that Mr. Devin designed and cast himself. The owner reports that only around 15 of these components are known to exist. This unit is hooked up to a Muncie aluminum four-speed manual transmission and a Ford nine-inch rear end. The transmission has a Hurst shifter that is also stated to be “super rare.” The current owner contacted Hurst about the shifter, and sent them a photograph, as he had never seen a similar one. The Hurst people, he conveys, immediately attempted to buy the shifter as it was described to him as one of approximately 100 produced by Hurst in the 1960s. Despite a very generous offer, it remains with the Devin.

The exhaust is routed through large side pipes. Equipped with Ansen PIN drive wheels and correct Vintage Dunlop racing tires as it was in 1958. The chassis is set up with adjustable coil-over shocks up front and dual shock absorbers on both rear corners. The front brakes are discs and the rear has drums. This historically important car has only about 200 miles on a complete "period correct" professional restoration. The prior owner told the current vendor that the Devin was rescued from a barn in California.

The 1950s produced a unique time in American sports car racing. The ever-growing popularity of road racing in Southern California soon attracted independent car builders who embodied the inventive spirit and skill of the hot rod culture. Homemade specials began to challenge, and on occasion, beat the Ferraris, Jaguars and Maseratis.

Bill Devin was part of that scene, and out of this setting he created the Devin Special. Devin also manufactured fiberglass bodies to fit a wide variety of chassis’, giving talented hobbyists the opportunity to build their own sports car at a fraction of the cost.