The intertwining of William Lyons, Swallow Sidecar, Swallow Coachbuilding, Tube Investments, and Jaguar gave us more than the sum of its parts in the form of sidecars, motorcycles, and sensational roadsters. But precisely how did these resolve into – on the one hand, the short-lived Doretti, and on the other hand, Jaguar? No one knows! I read twelve different accounts of Lyons, his Swallow companies, and who was sold to whom, and none of them agree! Suffice it to say, Lyons sold some Swallow thing to Tube Investments, which subsequently produced the Doretti. He retained some Swallow thing that then became Jaguar. (Which would you rather own?) Here on craigslist is part of most of one of the 263 or 275 or 279 or 291 (sources vary!) Swallow Doretti’s ever made, vintage 1955. The price is $12,500, and the car is located in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina – well, not IN the lake … you know what I mean. Chuck Foster, thanks so much for spotting this interesting find for us!
William Lyons was larger than life, but this story also involves Dorothy Deen, daughter of Arthur Andersen who invented the Whizzer engine. Dorothy accompanied her father on buying trips, importing British cars to the US. Andersen founded an accessories line for car owners, selling sun visors, luggage racks, and wing windows alongside MGBs, Triumphs, and the like. Dorothy was in charge of this enterprise, and she called the line “Doretti”, making it sound Italian. Tube Investments – where her father had connections – flattered Dorothy by purchasing the name for a dollar and attaching it to the only car Tube aka Swallow ever made. The Swallow Doretti is an aluminum-bodied, Triumph TR2-based sports car, with a current value roughly five times a TR2. The seller does have the car’s 1.9 liter TR2 motor, good for 90 hp, and the four-speed manual transmission. The car was heavy, despite its alloy bodywork – thanks to a stout tube frame and larger dimensions all around versus its distant Triumph cousin. While 100 mph was a legitimate top speed, performance was not compelling enough given that the car was very expensive.
This particular car is missing floors. The ad is completely indecipherable relating to its grille, windscreen, and seats, but the convertible top frames are with the car. The instrument panel is a slight rearrangement of the TR2’s dash with identical gauges.
Production lasted just ten months. Rumor has it that Tube Investments was able to leapfrog other carmakers when procuring raw materials in a war-torn economy, thanks to its diverse product base. That was considered unfair, and companies like Jaguar apparently requested that Swallow not be allowed to fledge as an accommodation to more established makers. This collection of Doretti parts is a start on what could become a six-figure car if it has a verifiable VIN. Restored, the cars are attractive enough, if a bit undistinguished in the front end. What do you think – is this one worth tackling?
Nicely told, Michelle, not an easy task with these cars. My guess would be that the majority of the missing pieces — lighting, etc. — would have come from various UK suppliers (or direct from Standard-Triumph) and so wouldn’t be impossible to find. The rest could be replicated from a complete Doretti. A few are still left…
There was one variant that didn’t suffer lackluster performance: the legendary Max Balchowski, of “Old Yeller” fame, plugged Buick “nailhead” V8 engines and Jaguar transmissions into a few fresh-off-the-boat Dorettis. I’ve never seen a report on what they were like to drive — and even Adam Clarke would have a rough time finding quarter-mile numbers for one! — but they had to be a good bit speedier than the Triumph-powered cars.
Bought my first Bugeye race car from Dave Gibb in Oklahoma City. He and his son Blake broke up their two car team when Blake loaded up and went to the west coast. Sitting next to the two Sprites was Old Yeller 2 just fresh from a long time rebuild. Dave was going to hit the historic car events around the country. Picture is Dave in California at a Vintage meet. Don’t see how anyone can trace all the goings on back then but Michelle and RayT did a great job of it.
It comes from being OLD, Bob!
Also, it comes from having had a father who was interested enough to take me to every road race in the Southern California area starting in roughly 1959. Got to see the first three “Old Yellers” — the first built by Dick Morgensen (originally with a Plymouth flathead “six” in it!) but given a Buick engine when Max bought it — in action. I probably even saw a Doretti or two back then, but the only one I can really remember came along much later.