By Jay Hirsch
Bill Devin was a Californian who sold Chrysler-Plymouth cars, which enabled him to have enough money to become a race car driver. He began his racing career in 1949 when he bought a Crosley Hot Shot and modified it. He installed a hotter cam to the Crosley’s 44 cid engine and competed in several California sports car events, which whetted his appetite to build his own sports car. In 1954 he established Devin Enterprises.
Bill used the then-relatively-new material fiberglass for the bodies with several molds to enable him to produce bodies in different sizes to fit various chassis. Unlike how most fiberglass-bodied cars were made at this time, using one mold for the entire body, Devin had several molds for the fenders, doors, etc., which gave someone options when building a car on a their own chassis.
In 1957 Devin contacted Noel Hills and Malcolm MacGregor, two race car drivers from Northern Ireland who also designed and built chassis for sports cars. Based on their design of a chassis with a 90-inch wheelbase and fully independent suspension all around, Devin then made a fiberglass body that …
