The Devin marque was created by Bill Devin, a California kit car pioneer and enthusiast. From an early age Devin was around cars and his deep rooted interest was bred into him by his mechanic father. Devin was an innovator and he devised the first belt driven overhead camshaft four cylinder engine. Drawing on his wealth of manual and intellectual skills he built the most successful ‘specials’ of the late 1950s.

Devin was instinctively drawn to motor racing and in 1951, driving a Devin built Crosley Special, he won the first event he entered. Devin’s success with the Crosley spurred him on further and he moved onto racing a Ferrari 212 that his close friend Phil Hill had driven in the 1952 Carrera Pan American. Devin soon started acquiring more Ferraris and other cars and in 1956 he won the SCCA National Championship in a Devin Panhard sports car. Shortly after this victory, Devin started producing replicas and roadster kits for sale.

In 1952, a trip to Italy would prove to be the greatest influence on all of the cars that Devin later built. Visiting the Ferrari factory allowed Devin access to the information required for correctly setting up a Ferrari for racing and during this time he also discussed the possibility of converting a single seat Ferrari Formula 1 car to a two seater sports car. Another factor that facilitated Devin’s success was fiberglass. In the early 1950’s it had just started to become a viable option for the construction of car bodies. Devin devised a modular system of mold, allowing him to make bodies for chassis varying from 76″ in length to 106″, dramatically improving marketability. The Devin kits were the first mold to have a cockpit with the seats and transmission cover built in. Devin’s work never received the acclaim it deserved and he became disillusioned, eventually quitting the motoring scene in 1964.

The Devin Special in the Mathews Collection started life as an MGA, the frame of which was covered with the lightweight Devin imitation Ferrari Testarossa body. Power is provided by a Chevrolet V8 engine with three Stromberg 97s and Chevrolet 4 speed transmission.