1951 Devin Porsche VW, Porsche 356 engine, brakes, gauges, wheels, and more

1951 Porsche Other Additional Info:

In the 1950s, Southern California was the epicenter of the growing American motorsport movement. Sports car, drag, and land speed racing were attracting more enthusiasts daily. The custom car culture was in full swing. The magazines were the internet of the day and were spreading the gospel throughout the land. It was a great time to be a car enthusiast. Especially if you were a young WW2 veteran who now owned a car dealership and also had a propensity for racing, engineering, and modifying cars. That gentleman was Bill Devin. He started sports car racing in the early 1950s and soon began making fiberglass car bodies. Quickly thereafter he was in the car making business. Besides complete cars like the Devin Panhard, Devin SS, and the Devin D&C, Devin also sold fiberglass bodies. These beautiful bodies were available in many sizes to fit chassis as small as a Crosley and as large as a full size Chevrolet. It was up to the buyer to engineer the chassis to their specifications. Many of these cars were raced back then and even still to this day.
HISTORY:This was one of the first Devin bodies to go onto a Volkswagen chassis. A very early 1951 Volkswagen chassis. There was a series of articles in the publication Sports Car Illustrated called "Body for a Beetle" and this Devin certainly appears to be the one from the magazine. The details are spot on to the most minute detail. Also, there were anecdotal stories of this car racing in California with a Porsche or supercharged Volkswagen engine in 1958 and 1959. This car was sold in late 1959 and we have the history and documentation of that transaction including the title and bill of sale stating the car as a Volkswagen Special Roadster. It was driven by this owner for over a decade before it was parked for the next few decades. We acquired the car a few years ago and did some restoration work and added a lot of valuable Porsche parts but now are passing it along for the next enthusiast to complete.
SPECIFICATIONS:-1951 Volkswagen chassis (shortened)-Porsche 356B engine. This is a loosely assembled engine with a 356B Normal case. The carburetors are Zenith. Most of the parts are included with this engine such as crankshaft, cylinders, pistons, rods, heads, rocker assembly, and valve covers. The carburetors are early Zenith. A few items are missing such as oil filler, pulleys, etc. This engine will require a full rebuild.-1956 Volkswagen split case transmission. 1956 Volkswagen front beam.-Porsche 356A brakes. These Porsche drums and backing plates are included with the car but are not installed.-Porsche 356 Lemmerz wheels. Genuine Porsche 356 wheels date coded late 50s/early 60s-Porsche 356 gauges. Speedometer and Tachometer from a 356-Porsche steering box. A ZF steering box from a 356 is included but not installed. Motolita steering wheel.
RESTORATION:We vapor blasted the body, made some fiberglass repairs, and used the 2 part primer Duratec on the body. This car will need a full overall restoration including more fiberglass work along with a full mechanical restoration. Except for the engine rebuild, these are relatively low tech and inexpensive vehicles to restore. The end result would be a beautiful and valuable Porsche VW Devin that would be fun to drive both on the street and on the race track.
Please message for any additional questions. The 3 Sports Car Illustrated magazines from 1958 are included with this sale. The clear Illinois title is signed and open and good for export to anywhere in the world. We can personally arrange transportation to the Savannah, Charleston, or Miami port. A bank to bank wire transfer is the preferred payment method. Cash in person is also ok.
If you are a car enthusiast and like cars such as Alfa Romeo, Allard, Austin Healey, BMW, Crosley, Corvette, Ferrari, Fiat, Glasspar, Jaguar, Kellison, Kurtis, Lancia, Lister, Lotus, MG, Maserati, Morgan, Mercedes, NSU, Panhard Porsche, Triumph, Volkswagen and SCCA race cars from the 1950s then you might be interested in reading about this Devin Special.