A period ad for the Doretti, with American actress Terry Moore behind the wheel.
The postwar years saw a revival of affordable Italian coachbuilding, and automakers on both sides of the Atlantic had their limited-edition and show cars built by stylish carrozzierias. Consider the Hudson Italia, the Aston-Martin DB4 Zagato, and Volvo’s 262C Bertone Coupe.
Everything about the 1954 Swallow Doretti—now receiving bids on eBay Motors—suggests that it was built in Italy. However, despite its lilting name and smooth Italian lines, the car was an entirely English enterprise. Only 263 Swallow Dorettis were made, plus 12 bodies left over when production ended.
The example on eBay Motors has been driven only 7,000 miles since its full frame-off restoration. (The odometer currently shows 45,000 miles.) The original 1.99-liter TR2 Triumph is no fireball, but this car has been upgraded with a balanced TR3 powerplant, complete with super-rare Doretti valve covers.
The car has lovely Italianate lines.
The original three-speed manual with electric overdrive was retained, and a new windshield was custom-made in England. The original interior was carefully reproduced, and all the chrome was re-plated.
“This may be the only time in a long, long time to come that you will be able to acquire a Doretti,” the seller said. “Take this car to Pebble Beach and Amelia Island and see if you don’t get more attention than the cars that are valued at 50 times as much. At every foreign sports car show you always see plenty of Jaguars, Austin-Healeys, and MGs, but when is the last time you saw a Doretti? Never.”
Swallows were well appointed with a generous instrument array and nicely finished seats.
The Doretti was made for three years, from 1953 through 1955, and this one is a beautiful 1954 model. The cars were relatively exclusive, and well-appointed compared to the bare-bones Triumph.
The name, by the way, came from an Italian-language twist on Dorothy Dean, who was the daughter of Triumph’s Southern California distributor.
The engine in this car is from a TR3, but it retains the rare Doretti valve covers.
The Jaguar Connection
Did you know that the company named after the leaping cat was originally a firm called Swallow Sidecar? The motorcycle-related business was sold in 1945 to the Helliwell Group. When the sidecar business tanked, Swallow decided to build sports cars. You can see a touch of the Jaguar XK-120 in the Doretti’s tail design, and the front hints at early Ferrari roadsters.
The car looks good in apple green, complementing a red vinyl soft top.
More than half of the Dorettis produced went to the U.S. with a debut in Los Angeles in January 1954. The cars sold well enough, but the die was cast in 1955 when Jaguar said Swallow couldn’t remain a supplier to Jaguar if it continued to market a rival to the XK-120.
The front of the car mixes Austin-Healey and Ferrari influences.
With fewer than about 180 surviving Dorettis, the cars promise to maintain or increase their value over time. (Bonhams sold a late 1955 model for a remarkable $95,014 in 2016.) Keeping a Swallow Doretti on the road should be straightforward. The body parts will be hard to find, but chassis pieces, which are pure Triumph TR2, are readily available on eBay Motors.
