1 of 197: Rare 1954 Swallow Doretti
I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I try hard to be non-judgemental in my posts. But I’m having a tough time forgiving whoever decided to customize this 1954 Swallow Doretti, especially as there are only 197 cars known to exist. It’s for sale here on eBay and is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bidding has only risen to just over $2,000 but has not met the reserve yet.
This is what a Doretti should look like. Pretty, isn’t it? While I’ve never been a huge fan of the grille, the rest of the car has some very nice styling. Doretti’s were manufactured by the Swallow Coachbuilding Company which had split apart from what became Jaguar Cars just after World War II. The Doretti was based on Triumph TR2 mechanical components but has its own chassis. The car was only built from 1954 to 1955. And if you are wondering where the name came from, Dorothy Deen was one of the Triumph importers at the time and it was named after her. A truly fascinating person if you have the time to do some research.
This car, serial number 1073, appears to be previously unknown to the Swallow Doretti Register. The fins, hood, wheel openings, fender vents and hooded headlamp modifications all appear to be in metal, leaving a restorer to decide whether to keep the modifications or restore the car to it’s original shape. I’m confident writing I know what I would choose!
The white car in the background is an MGA–perhaps there is some British car expertise around where you could learn more about the history of the car.
Thankfully, Dorettis had a relatively straightforward to duplicate interior for a good “trimmer” as our British friends say.
The TR2 engine looks quite intact and original. The good thing about this engine design is that since the “wet liners” are replaceable, it’s rare that an engine cannot be salvaged. What do you think about taking on this challenge? Would you go back original or keep the body modifications?
Comments
Looks like someone grafted a Daimler SP250 onto it. Not a good look, unless it has the rest of the Daimler underneath it…
I don’t want to disagree with the author of the article….
But the white car picture is as bland as a bar of soap.
While the “custom” car for sale looks way better. I also think rare cars should be preserved, and if this car is all steel i think it qualifies as something to be saved as it has been modified.
In my humble opinion it looks way better than the original.
Neil, the great thing about this world is that we are both entitled to our opinion 😀. I can see your point and thank you for the respectful disagreement!
Yep…rare…
I shared Richard’s thoughts about the Sp250 at first glance. Looking at the white example it seems very Austin Healy in general style. So, doing some research, (what a concept), turns out the design attribution is to an in house employee at Swallow. But the AH 100s predated this car by at least a year, so it wouldn’t surprise that there was the opportunity for influence. The Doretti body has a steel inner structure with an aluminum outer skin, so returning the lines to original isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Just needs a committed restoration. Hope it lands in good hands.
Who “customizes” such a low production vehicle? A quick search tells me 275 were made, with 178 known to exist.
In standard form, it reminds me of the
fictional “Idaho Special” that was used in
the film “Johnny Dark” starring Tony Curtis. Wouldn’t know what to do with
it in its present state. However you do
it, the car should be saved. All I can say
is good luck to the new owner!
And the good people of Idaho still deny all knowledge of it.
I am finding the lines of this Doretti hard to swallow….
yah! it has a pretty easy sourced motor that looks original boo-everything else is unobtainium.
I my goodness this is the missing prototype seen in car and driver.
The changes haven’t aged well. It could be a significant car in its own right, though.
It looks competently built, not some backyard hack job. I think it would deserve some research before a decision was made on keeping or reversing the modifications.
Absolute desecration! How can anybody take such a beautiful car and chop it up to look like nothing on earth? I had the opportunity to buy one of these that needed a restoration but my offer wasn’t accepted, fortunately, as a friend of mine bought it and a few months later I went up to Johannesburg to visit him and to take a look at the car. Well, thank goodness my offer lost out as there was far too much work for me to have handled. It is now a gold medal winning Doretti and is still owned by my friend in SA.
Now if what Carmagguy said is true then this is a one of, prototype that Swallow may have been planning as the evolution of the model. Id say that would make it a rare find to be restored to what it is.
The Swallow Doretti was/is a wonderful car, subtle, refined, and handsome in appearance and with all the attributes desired in a sportscar of its day. I remember mine fondly but I think this one is probably too far gone to “restore”. Maybe it could have some sort of future as a “rat rod” of sorts, maybe not. What a shame that someone saw fit to destroy it as they did.
I,d be interested in more info re the car you own
This is a car from much simpler times. Accordingly, fabrication of most of its parts would be a normal task for a truly competent automotive restorer. I have to agree that the lines of the original are better, especially around the front wheel arches (what could they have been thinking there). I’d be a bit confused as to how the steel rear clip from a Daimler Sp could have been melded onto the aluminum body of the Swallow (or was an SP250 aluminum, too?). But a craftsman with an English Wheel could duplicate the original panels. All it would take is a few cubic feet of money. I hope someone loves it enough to bring it back to life.
The Daimler SP 250 body was fibreglass.
Daimler SP 250 had a fiberglass body.
At http://www.doretti.co.uk/nr-specials-00.htm, you will see a silver coupe which has a rear fender treatment much like this one.
Sure looks suspiciously like an AH, with a custom grill. To fakey for me.
I have tracked these cars since the late 70s and account for over 200. I have seen worse. Other than the obvious mods this is a structurally straight and sound chassis and inner tub. resources exist to replace/repair almost everything on this car. I knew this car when in Venezuela and have more photos documenting the condition
This is not any sort of prototype. The 2 initial prototypes and and a couple of Swallow special project cars all still exist. This is the 74th production car built
identified as Chassis 1073