Swallow Doretti
Despite an impressive CV, there will still be a lot of classic enthusiasts who have never heard of the British sports car brand Swallow Doretti… This is an open two-seater consisting of a tubular chassis of Reynolds 531 manganese – molybdenum, medium-carbon to which the mechanics of the Triumph TR2 was screwed. The bodywork consists of a metal inner frame with aluminum sheet metal over it. The brand was founded in 1954 by the Swallow Coachbuilding Company, in 1945 by Jaguar - formerly SS Cars Ltd. - was sold to the Helliwell Group which was absorbed by the Tube Investments Group in 1946. The Doretti addition had to do with Doretti Dean, the lady who looked after the interests of this car manufacturer on the West coast of the United States. A certain Frank Rainbow was responsible for the particularly beautiful design. Due to a change in the strategy of the parent company TI Group, the curtain fell in 1955, after 276 units of the first series (including one coupé) and only two Mk IIs had been built. Apparently there are still 168 known worldwide. Our country also has at least two copies, both fully restored.
Photo: On the far left, a spotless Swallow Doretti
