1954 Swallow Doretti

The words “rare” and “obscure” are often used (and in many cases misused) in the classic car world but those terms properly describe the Swallow Doretti.  While the name might suggest a vehicle of Italian origin, the Swallow Doretti is 100 percent British with a legacy tied to a legendary name in that country’s automotive history.  With only 276 cars built in the 1954 and 1955 model years, the demise of the vehicle was due more to industry politics than any other reason.  Of that number, it is estimated that possibly as few as 80 cars exist today.

Jaguar founder William Lyons owned Swallow Coachbuilding Company, LTD and was known for producing motorcycle sidecars prior to and shortly after World War II.  Lyons sold the company in industrial magnate Tube Investments, a holding company for specialized engineering firms, in 1946 to form Jaguar.  With sidecar sales lagging, TI executives tasked engineer Frank Rainbow with designing a two-seat sports car primarily for the United States market that would be a superior vehicle to what was currently available there.  The end result was the Swallow Doretti.

Working with a very short timeline, Rainbow focused his efforts on chassis development and relied on established carbuilder Triumph for the driveline and suspension.  The double-skinned body featured a steel substructure with an aluminum exterior and covered a tubular chromoly frame with materials sourced from another TI subsidiary.  The roadster was slightly wider and longer than other British sports cars, resulting in a superior ride than most competing vehicles.

While these hand-built cars posed little threat to other British car companies, Jaguar’s William Lyons and other auto executives cited a direct conflict of interest as TI companies provided parts and components to them.  In the end, internal industry politics caused Swallow to cease car production.

This is a well-restored early production example of a 1954 Swallow Doretti.  Bearing chassis number 1007, this is the seventh car to come from the factory and has almost 50 years of documented ownership history.  It has been apart of the Evergreen Historic Autos portfolio since June 2016 and has been housed since that time in a humidity-controlled environment.  Much of the car’s early life was spent on the West Coast in California and Oregon.

Chassis #1007 was first restored in 1974 with considerable attention to detail.  The car sold in February 1975 to southern California resident Dr. Alan Simon and was involved in many shows and events for the next 33 years.  The car was sold in 2008 to a collector in Connecticut who was responsible for the meticulous restoration currently displayed, as well as the addition of a Triumph TR2 supercharger.  The present owner had some paint work done on a few panels to correct some issues with the aging restoration.

This rare roadster is powered by the correct 2.0L Triumph TR2 engine and a four-speed manual gearbox.  The car presents in the original color white livery with a tasteful black and grey interior.  As one would expect from a proper British sports car of this period, blackwall tires wrap wire wheels.  While we believe the just under 44,000 miles showing on the US spec odometer to be original, we cannot confirm this and in accordance with statutes regulating Missouri licensed auto dealers the car will be sold “mileage exempt” due to age.

Evergreen Digital Showroom offers this beautiful, exceptionally rare 1954 Swallow Doretti at a price of $75,000 USD.  Pre-purchase inspection is both welcomed and advised.  We will be glad to arrange transportation at buyer’s expense or will work with the shipping company of buyer’s choice.  For additional information or to make an offer on this vehicle call sales manager Steve Russell at 417-532-8000.