Mike Napoli's 1957 Triumph TR-3 with Devin body, from South Africa.
Indeed.
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The car under discussion is accurately described as an F type Devin. What it is in reality is a glass fibre bodied, 1957- TR3. The original car was owned and raced in Cape Town until 1960 when it was somewhat bent in an accident. The owner imported a glass fibre Devin body shell from the United States and in 1961 commisioned Meissner Motors in Cape Town to mate it to the TR3 chassis and drivetrain. Those of us with long memories will well remember Meissner Motors for their participation in motor sport, their hot modification of Ford products, and, last but not least, their involvement in the creation of the Dart and Flamingo cars of that era. For a bit more background on Bill Devin and his creations check out our Clubs website. As far as can be ascertained by myself and a previous owner of the car, this is the only example of an F type Devin in South Africa, and, possibly, the only example of a right hand drive model world wide. Time and the internet will prove whether these claims are true or false. The existance of the car became known to the Club a month or two ago and the decision was taken that the car would, if finacially possible, be purchased by the Club and auctioned amongst interested Club members. Fortunately for me the Club's offer was rejected,and the agent, acting for the owner would not budge anything under R15,000. I went to look at the car and agreed that the price was a bit hefty as the car was in a pretty sad looking state, coupled with the fact that the license was some 7 years in arrears and the penalties involved in getting the license up to date made it even less of an attraction. A quick 'phone around by the Chairman to those who had expressed an interest in the auction of the car revealed that a lot of interest had fallen comensurate with the increased price expected by the seller. I had a second look at the car and decided I would buy it. If for nothing else but to wrestle the "Double Rugged" title away from arch enemy Grahame Johnson. After all, here was a car with none of those sissy sidescreens or poofdah soft tops No, my and my passengers only protection against the elements would be a pair of sunglasses, a beanie and a German military type jacket. Truly this was a genuine Double Rugged machine. My, and many others original impressions of the car was that it (a) needed to be acquired and (b) required a rebuild. Time to take it home and assess exactly what is required. Closer inspection of the car revealed that it had the TR4 spec engine and a Chicane overdrive gearbox. The next order of business was to give it a wash and polish to determine exactly what lay under 7 years of grime. I do not particularly believe in miracles but an hour later a miracle had happened. Standing in our driveway was a very pretty and pristine looking little motor car. Admittedly anything that was once chromed or pewtered was beyond redemption and the wheel rims were grotesque. Strangely the underpinnings (chassis, suspension etc) were in excellent nick--- see, oil leaks are not necessarily a bad thing. Immediately I said "forget a rebuild, lets get it to run and do cosmetic work as we go along."
the following specs apply:
CAR: 1957 TR 3 raced locally, crashed circa 1959 and fitted with Ftype Devin body shell imported from America.
Modifications involved:
(i) chassis shortened by an unknown amount and engine moved backwards by 105mm
(ii) Inlet manifold shortened to accommodate carbs and filters within body shell.
(iii) Oil filter on top of tappet cover blanked off and fitted on side of tappet cover.
(iv) Thermostat housing modified to clear bonnet.
The ongoing mods to the car over the years included:
Engine: TR4 (2.144cc) pistons sleeves and camshaft
Cyl head: s/steel valve inserts. All ports enlarged and polished. Rebuilt to these specs less than 3 000km ago.
Gearbox: Triumph Chicane "j" type. Overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears.
Cooling: Citroen 1220 radiator fitted inside nose of car with high capacity cross flow core and electric fan.
Body: Glass fibre open top Devin - Type F
Windscreen: Jaguar E type (apparently 3 were broken during the trial fitments of this modification circa 1989).
Windscreen wipers/motor: Citroen 1220
Instruments: TR3 - except for addition of analogue clock.
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