Swallow Doretti

15Jul12

Er war ein Kind seiner Zeit, der Swallow Doretti. Unter der hübschen Alumminium Karosserie des zweisitzigen Sportcabriolets werkelt im Verborgenen solide Triumph TR2 Technik. Es war der kurzlebige Versuch in den USA eine Marktnische zwischen dem Triumph TR2 und dem Jaguar XK120 zu füllen.

In einer Zeit des Aufbrauchs schossen in den 50ziger Jahren in Großbritannien Fahrzeughersteller fast über Nacht aus dem Boden. Unbegrenzt erscheinenden Möglichkeiten erlaubten es findigen Unternehmern mit Kleinstserien schnell in den Kreis der Fahrzeughersteller aufzusteigen, nur um genau so schnell wieder zu verschwinden. Einem dieser kreativen Konstrukteure, Frank Rainbow, verdanken wir die Entstehung des Swallow Doretti…

… mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Triumph IG Südwest aus dem „TRiumph Magazin“, Frühling 2012:

Weiche Schale, harter Kern

Text: Frank Schädlich
Fotos: Markus Nikot

http://www.scribd.com/~Swallow-Doretti

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The Swallow Doretti was a two-seater sports car based on the Triumph TR2, made between 1954 and 1955.

The marque came from Swallow Coachbuilding Co. (1935) Ltd. which was sold in 1945 by Jaguar (formerly SS Cars Ltd) to the Helliwell Group which was taken over in 1946 by the British conglomerate, the Tube Investments Group (TI). The Dorreti name was derived from Dorothy Deen, who ran the US dealership Cal Sales.

The first and only model produced by Swallow under TI ownership was the Doretti, which had a tubular Reynolds 531 Cromolly chassis with a body made of a steel inner structural skin and aluminium outer. Most cars were supplied with overdrive and they were capable of 100 mph. 276 cars were made, including a single fixed head coupe version. The car was designed by in-house engineer Frank Rainbow, and produced in the TI factory at the The Airport, Walsall, Staffordshire, England.

Production stopped in 1955 when the parent company TI changed policy. Allegedly, pressure from the British motor industry, most notably Jaguar itself, led to the cessation of production of the Doretti. It is thought that the directors of TI were convinced that continued production of the Doretti sports car placed TI in direct competition with their customers for raw materials, creating a serious conflict of interest.

A car with overdrive tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1954 had a top speed of 100.2 mph (161.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 12.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 27.9 miles per imperial gallon (10.1 L/100 km; 23.2 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1,158 including taxes.

The standard version without overdrive cost £1102. At the time a Triumph TR2 cost £887.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow_Doretti

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