The Swallow Doretti was a brief-yet-intriguing British sports car, produced in 1954–55 by Swallow Coachbuilding, then under Tube Investments. Styled by Frank Rainbow, it featured a Reynolds 531 tubular steel chassis, aluminum body and Triumph TR2 running gear.
Like many Swallows, this Doretti was sold new in California. Our subject car’s buyer was Harvey M. Mayer, who ran the car in the 1955 Pebble Beach Sports Car race at Cypress Point. Following this run, the rare Doretti went to Leo Welch of Watsonville, CA. Welch retained it until 2007, when Reed Harmann of Palos Verdes, CA, purchased it. The car was then brought to Randy Reed at Antique Auto Restoration of Seaside, CA, for a comprehensive restoration to Pebble Beach standards.
After two years of exceptional restoration work, Harmann’s Doretti was completed and hit the show circuit at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, in 2008, the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue in 2010, and the esteemed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2011. The car was then sold in 2015 to its current Swiss-based owner, who displayed it in France at the 2016 Chantilly Arts & Élégance.
Today, the car remains in outstanding condition, a testament not only to the inherent quality of its restoration but also to its continued care. Recently completing a Swiss MOT Oldtimer inspection, this well-documented Swallow would surely be a welcome sight at numerous prestigious international concours events, celebrating not only its rarity but also its fantastic restoration.
(Introductory description courtesy of Broad Arrow Auctions.)
