By Dean Larson

It’s been said that the accomplishments of Bill Devin did not reflect his considerable talents. Looking at this Devin Super Sport, we’re forced to assume Devin was an extremely talented guy. This SS currently offered for sale on BringaTrailer.com is a street-legal example of one of Devin’s most successful cars, the V8-powered Super Sport.

The Super Sport may be an icon of the American fiberglass era, but it was actually a chance call from Belfast, Northern Ireland that got the ball rolling. A pair of engineers had built a well-designed race chassis and wanted Devin to build a custom body. Instead, Devin struck a deal with the engineers where they would tweak the chassis to his liking and send completed versions to the U.S. to be built into race cars. The chassis used the standard ladder-type layout, but featured a de Dion rear axle, inboard disc brakes by Girling and coil-over shocks. Devin then fitted the cars with brand new bodies and 283 cubic inch Chevrolet V8s from the Corvette, which he tweaked to make 220 hp at the rear wheels. The SS was affordably priced and competitive in SCCA big-bore racing, leading to its popularity with fiberglass fans. 

The Super Sport for sale here is a nice looking example that’s titled for street use and ready for SVRA racing in the group 4 pre-1960 class. The authentic SS body passed through several owners before being completed with a custom tubular-chassis. The ad also mentions that the body “came from a collector by the name of Harold Pace.” For those who don’t know, Pace (1952-2014) was an encyclopedia of automotive knowledge who wrote for nearly every major automotive publication, definitely a glowing endorsement for the SS.

Built in the spirit of the original, this SS is powered by a 331 cubic inch small-block Chevrolet with dual quads that makes an impressive 450 hp. A T10 four speed and Ford 9-inch rear end with an adjustable J-bar make up the rest of the driveline.

Cosmetically, the Devin looks just right. The race-ready paintwork is said to have some small scuffs and crazing typical of a race car, but it clearly presents well. The interior looks to be equal parts show winning and race winning and is laid out very nicely.

The Devin is up for auction on BringaTrailer.com and is holding at just $21,000 with one day remaining in the auction. BaT auctions typically heat up in the last hours of the auction, so we’d expect to see this price double and then some, or the SS will likely not meet its reserve.