Swallow Doretti
Encyclopedia
The Swallow Doretti was a two-seater sports car
based on the Triumph
TR2
, made between 1954 and 1955.
The marque came from Swallow Coachbuilding Co. (1935) Ltd. which was sold in 1945 by Jaguar
(formerly S.S. Cars Ltd.) to the Helliwell Group which was taken over in 1946 by the British conglomerate, the Tube Investments Group (TI). The Dorreti name was derived from Dorothy Deen, who ran the US dealership Cal Sales.
The first and only model produced by Swallow under TI ownership was the Doretti, which had a tubular Reynolds 531
Cromolly chassis with a body made of a steel inner structural skin and aluminium outer. Most cars were supplied with overdrive and they were capable of 100 mph. 276 cars were made, including a single fixed head coupe version. The car was designed by in-house engineer Frank Rainbow, and produced in the TI factory at the The Airport, Walsall
, Staffordshire
, England.
Production stopped in 1955 when the parent company TI changed policy. Allegedly, pressure from the British motor industry, most notably Jaguar itself, led to the cessation of production of the Doretti. It is thought that the directors of TI were convinced that continued production of the Doretti sports car placed TI in direct competition with their customers for raw materials, creating a serious conflict of interest.
in 1954 had a top speed of 100.2 mph (161.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 12.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 27.9 mpgimp was recorded. The test car cost £1,158 including taxes.
The standard version without overdrive cost £1102. At the time a Triumph TR2 cost £887.
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
based on the Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
TR2
Triumph TR2
The Triumph TR2 is a sports car which was produced by the Standard Motor Company in the United Kingdom between 1953 and 1955, during which time 8,636 cars were produced....
, made between 1954 and 1955.
The marque came from Swallow Coachbuilding Co. (1935) Ltd. which was sold in 1945 by Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
(formerly S.S. Cars Ltd.) to the Helliwell Group which was taken over in 1946 by the British conglomerate, the Tube Investments Group (TI). The Dorreti name was derived from Dorothy Deen, who ran the US dealership Cal Sales.
The first and only model produced by Swallow under TI ownership was the Doretti, which had a tubular Reynolds 531
Reynolds 531
Reynolds 531 is a brand name, registered to Reynolds Cycle Technology of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, for a manganese-molybdenum, medium carbon steel bicycle tubing....
Cromolly chassis with a body made of a steel inner structural skin and aluminium outer. Most cars were supplied with overdrive and they were capable of 100 mph. 276 cars were made, including a single fixed head coupe version. The car was designed by in-house engineer Frank Rainbow, and produced in the TI factory at the The Airport, Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England.
Production stopped in 1955 when the parent company TI changed policy. Allegedly, pressure from the British motor industry, most notably Jaguar itself, led to the cessation of production of the Doretti. It is thought that the directors of TI were convinced that continued production of the Doretti sports car placed TI in direct competition with their customers for raw materials, creating a serious conflict of interest.
Performance
A car with overdrive tested by the British magazine The MotorThe Motor (magazine)
The Motor was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903....
in 1954 had a top speed of 100.2 mph (161.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 12.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 27.9 mpgimp was recorded. The test car cost £1,158 including taxes.
The standard version without overdrive cost £1102. At the time a Triumph TR2 cost £887.