The Swallow Coachbuilding Company, part of the Tube Investments group, built the Doretti at its factory in Walsall. The Swallow name went back to the sidecar business started by William Lyons in the 1920s, the origins of what became Jaguar.
Designed by Frank Rainbow for the American market, the Doretti used the Triumph TR2’s 2-litre Standard engine and running gear in its own chassis, with a wider track and longer wheelbase than the TR2, and a more luxurious body. It could reach 100mph, but at around £1,100 to £1,150 it cost much more than a TR2 at £887. The name came from Dorothy Deen, who ran its distribution in the western United States.
Only 276 Doretti Mark Is were built, including a single fixed-head coupé, before Tube Investments stopped production in 1955, reportedly because other car makers it supplied, particularly Jaguar, saw it as a competitor.
