Vehicle Description
1959 Devin SS
Prototype #001
Built fall of 1959 and used as a factory display car.
There were a total of 15 Devin SS chassis made in Northern Ireland
that were shipped to the United States and then the engines were
fitted at Bill Devin's factory in California. Road and Track tested
the SS and it had increasable performance, 0 to 60 MPH in 5.5
seconds. R&T declared the Devin SS to be the fastest road car
they had ever tested of its time! The Devin SS was the Pikes Peak
winner in its class for three years in a row.
Unknown to many people there were three prototype chassis made in
California for the next generation of the Devin SS. #001 is the
only known survivor of the three cars and verified with an original
letter signed by Bill Devin. This car was originally used as a
display for advertising and then sold to a young man in California
who had the car for several years. Terry Stokes was the 2nd owner
and drove the car for 35 years until 1996 when Bill Devin convinced
Terry Stokes to sell the SS to him. Over the years Terry's had won
many vintage races and concourse events, documenting the car. Terry
assumed that Bill would not sell the car, but less than a year
later Bill sold the SS to Steve Young, a board member of the
Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles. Steve wanted to vintage race
the SS and gave it to Chris Wickersham who is an expert in
restoring Devin SS's. Chris set up the car for the track with coil
over suspension and four-link in the back. Steve successfully raced
the SS for many years and he called it his Swiss watch because it
never broke down on him. The engine he put in was a Chevy 327 and
produced 425-horsepower on pump gas at the rear wheels. With a good
driver, this car was almost impossible to beat. The car then passed
to Mark Balestra who owned a Buick dealership in Santa Rosa,
California. He also raced the car in many vintage car events.
Finally in 2012, Mr. Blue bought number #001 who also owns a 1965
Shelby 289. He says the Devin SS run circles around the Cobra. The
SS is in excellent mechanical condition and has no issues. The
4-speed gearbox shifts perfectly like butter and the four-wheel
disc brakes stop the car like they should.
The provenance of number 001 may be the rarest of all the Devin
SS's ever made. It is licensed for street use, retains its racing
logbook and history going back to 1961. It placed first in class at
The Quail, in the post-war sports car in 1991. Today it is in
perfect drivers condition. Included with the SS is extensive
documentation proving the authenticity of the vehicle, The Quail
trophy, numerous magazine articles and vintage race photos.
Chassis #DSS-001 is a well-documented vehicle that is well prepared
and racetrack ready. The Devin SS used a specially designed
lightweight frame, four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion
steering, independent front-rear suspension, coil over shocks,
center lock wire wheels. This car has proven to be competitive in a
"blue chip" group with other cars of the era, which included
Listers, Maserati Tipo 61's, C and D-type Jaguars, and Ferrari
TR250 Testarossas.
Truly a mean machine that you can drive on the street or race on
the track this will be a very hard car to beat!
Accolades
1979 - Die Hard Award, Monterey Vintage Race
2nd in Class, Chadwick Concours D' Elegance
2nd in Class, Long Beach Grand Prix Concours D' Elegance
1980 - 1st in Class, San Fernando Valley Concours D' Elegance
Featured Article- Motor Trend Magazine
1st in Class, Chadwick Concourse D' Elegance
1996 - Tustin Thunder Event, Palm Springs Event
1997 - 4th Annual Grand Prix, Vara Tustin, 1st Annual Ford Los
Angeles Grand Prix
1999 - 8th Annual Copperstate Classic, Vara Prix, Vara Tustin, Vara
Liberty GP, Porsche Alfa Challenge
2000 - Vara Annual, HMSA Laguna Seca, Ford Chevy Challenge,
Monterey Historics, Corona Speed Festival
2001 - Laguna Seca Spring Race, Monterey Historics
2002 - Laguna Seca Spring Race, Monterey Historics, Coronado Speed
Festival
