1955 | Swallow Doretti

This is an exceptionally rare car, and one that has been rebuilt to the very highest of standards. The Swallow Doretti was built at Walsall in Staffordshire by the Swallow Coachbuilding Company (1935) Ltd. The Company were part of the William Lyons’ empire that specialised in building motorcycle sidecars, another Lyons company was Swallow Sidecars who made the ‘SS’ cars that adopted the Jaguar name post war. After WWII William Lyons sold the firm to Tube Investments and as the Company were facing a declining market for sidecars, Swallow used its spare capacity to launch the Doretti sportscar in 1954, aimed at the California market.

This car has a wonderful history and fabulous provenance having covered extensive overseas touring and participating in many events. The Swallow has had two full restorations, the first documented during the mid 1990's where it was stripped with body off to the rolling shell, but then in 2007 when the car changed hands from a London based owner, it was put through a no expense spared restoration that was carried out by TR Enterprises. On arrival with the restoration specialists the car was completely stripped down and having had a mid 1990;s body off rebuilt they were pleased to find the chassis and body were both in excellent condition. There was no major work to carry out on the body so it was stripped to bare metal and fully re-painted. There was absolutely no corrosion to deal with so the Swallow was cosmetically renewed with re-chromed brightwork and re-trimmed upholstery.

All mechanicals were stripped down and completely rebuilt and with a plan for long distance touring and more power. The engine was treated to a balanced crankshaft, ported head and a performance camshaft. The result of this was taking the standard 90BHP to 110BHP and the differential slightly lower geared to improve acceleration. Braking was also improved from standard with front brake discs replacing the standard drums as the car had to be capable of mountain passes on the Alpes without any concerns. Other upgrades included an uprated clutch, stainless steel exhaust and manifold and alloy fuel tank. The restoration took four months and was ready for September 2007 where it was displayed in the Goodwood Road Racing Club section. Its long term owner then averaged 3500 miles per year touring. The Swallow was taken from Cornwall to Spain for the Cape to Cape Tourer, the Three Castles Rally and regular touring in France. Having essentially had two restorations, the owner stated he wanted the best Doretti and went about it the right way - buying a car that was particularly sound and then stripping it again to ensure it was totally top class.

This is an impressive car on all fronts, its ideal for long distance touring and with its lively, rebuilt and uprated engine, four speed with overdrive gearbox, uprated differential and brakes, it's a true delight to drive and no doubt a better driving experience than the day it left the factory. The engine is beautifully gas flowed and balanced, it goes like a rocket and is smooth as silk. The overdrive on 2nd 3rd and 4th engages perfectly. Genuinely smoother and feels quicker than an Austin-Healey 3000 with its six cylinders and without doubt exceeds initial expectations. We would go as far to say this car is singularly the best and quickest four cylinder Triumph-engined car we have ever driven. The bodywork is stunning, the Old English White paintwork is stunning with a gleaming shine, the engine bay and boot compartment are incredibly clean and the upholstery beautifully aged over ten years on since its major rebuild. This is a very special car, a collector's piece and one for the discerning buyer who wants to use the car and have confidence with reliability and performance. Ideal for long distance touring, and a delightfully aged professional restoration.