Sometimes the concept, the story, or rarity of a car makes it worthy of our attention, regardless of its condition. In the case of this 1954 Swallow Doretti, it’s all three. Located in Tillamook, Oregon, this obscure British roadster is up for auction here on eBay. With right at eight days left at the time of writing, the bid has already climbed to $2,000. The reserve is, as yet, unmet. Many thanks to Peter Rettig for the tip!

Swallow Coachbuilding grew out of the same enterprise that ultimately produced Jaguar. The two siblings diverged following the Second World War, with Swallow focusing on continuing to build motorcycle sidecars along with bodies for various other manufacturers. In the early Fifties, management at Swallow took a long look at the emerging American market for British sports cars and decided to throw their hat in the ring. Sir John Black at Standard-Triumph agreed to provide the drivetrains, while Swallow would manage the body and chassis. Since Swallow was, at this time, a subsidiary of Tube Investments, Ltd., this chassis would be built entirely of steel tubing. Priced squarely between the Triumph TR2 and the Jaguar, the little roadster seemed destined to succeed.

But it wasn’t meant to be. It was William Lyons, former head of the company and now the driving force behind Jaguar, that put an end to Swallow’s latest venture into the world of sports cars. He made it clear to the management at Tube Investments that Jaguar would no longer purchase their products if the Doretti remained on the market. Production of the Swallow Doretti came to a close after only 10 months.

Sources differ on exactly how many Dorettis were made, perhaps in part because at least a few were assembled from parts shortly after production officially ended. The most often quoted figure, and the highest number I’ve seen, is 276. Amazingly, given its rarity, this is not the first Doretti we’ve seen here on Barn Finds: you can check out Jamie Palmer’s stellar write-up here. But where that car had faced significant, and unwelcome, modifications to the body, this one has seen changes made to its drive train that the new owner might find appealing. At some point in the past, the engine and transmission from Triumph’s TR2 have been swapped for those of the TR3. Although the engines were, at their core, identical, the TR3 version had a 5 hp edge on its predecessor thanks to improvements to the carburetors. The upgrade to the TR3’s front disc brakes is also a change for the better. Given that the mechanical and electrical systems all originate with the TR2 or TR3, it shouldn’t be too hard to find replacements for any of these components that are missing.

The body, frame, and interior are, sadly, another story. Although the body is aluminum, there’s quite a bit of damage. The doors, or course, are clearly not aluminum. Of more concern is the seller’s disclosure of rot in the frame. The steel in the interior looks more solid, but this brings up another point: it’s missing the interior. It’s missing the dash. It’s missing the grille. It’s missing the trim. Although the seller points out that many of these items were originally sourced from other marques, this will likely mean shelling out cash for new replacements rather than finding originals to refurbish. The new owner should be ready to explore fabricating the pieces that he can’t easily find, particularly trim. Still, this could be a fantastic opportunity for the right person, and a rare chance to acquire a remarkable British classic.