For Sale: 1955 Swallow Doretti in Morgantown, Pennsylvania

1955 Swallow Doretti Roadster

"The Swallow Doretti was designed and produced by a division of the Swallow SideCar Company, founded by William Walmsley and William Lyons. In 1933, the automobile portion of the company became S.S. Although production for the Swallow Doretti lasted only 10 months, the company managed to deliver a total of 276 cars, half of which were sold to the U.S." Sportscardigest.com

For consignment, a 1955 Swallow Doretti roadster showing 3,561 miles, but the true miles are unknown. Family owned for more than 50 years, our consignor states, "Over the last 15 years, it's undergone a meticulous restoration to bring it back to showroom fresh glory. Every nut, bolt, and panel has been thoughtfully preserved or restored to highest standards, blending authenticity with modern reliability where needed."

Exterior
In profile, it has all the personality of British roadsters of the era; the long hood, sloping tail, and low slung doors. Up front, it's noted for its Italian influence with a wide grille and small hood bulge while in back, its likeness to the Jag XJ120 is apparent and equally as attractive, here in two stage British Racing Green. Straight chrome bumpers with bumperettes bookend the sports car and twin exhaust tips are expelled just off center under the back. The black canvas soft top is in fine condition and includes a clear, plastic rear window and connects to the polished A-pillars of the straight windscreen. Other polished accents include the side spear, sculpted grille surround, and fantastic 15-inch chrome wire wheels. Imperfections are limited to a small blemish on the left spear.

Interior
Saddle leather coats the door cards which form a frame around the hollow where a door pull is supplied. Black leather bucket seats provide the accommodations for driver and guest and they are in well stuffed and very good condition, while the parcel shelf behind is perfectly covered in black loop style carpeting. Up front, the Triumph steering wheel's wood rim blends well with the tan leather of the dash where gauges are center positioned with the large tachometer being closest to the driver. Small gauges and switchgear are housed in an aluminum backing plate all under a robust black dash pad. A burlwood handle shifter rises from the transmission tunnel with a black boot over more clean black carpet that lines the footwells in conjunction with leather kick panels. The boot is barren and clean.

Drivetrain
The show must go on, and so it does under the hood where we find a grease free 1991cc inline four cylinder rated at 90 horsepower and fueled through two 1-barrel carburetors. It mates to a 4-speed manual transmission that routes power to the rear axle with 4.25 gearing.

Undercarriage
Under the car, the tubular steel chassis is apparent and a single exhaust runs through a stock style muffler followed by two tailpipes and suspension consists of coil springs in front and leaf springs in the rear. Brakes are configured as front disc and rear drums.

Drive-Ability
Rare and somewhat legendary, we slowly roll this Doretti around the test loop to check functionality and it delivers on all counts. This has all the manners of a sports car of the era and handling is perhaps a touch better with its slightly wider stance. The cabin is a comfortable place to be as you peer out over the hood bulge and onto the road ahead. Our temperature gauge is reading high but we confirmed the car is not running hot. Beyond that, all functions operate as they should and we gallop this green dream back to the mall. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.

This car is well documented and has not been regularly road driven in 40 years and as such, the mileage is believed to be true by the consignor and the renowned restoration shop that did the recent work. It also has only appeared in public twice, both times in the Philadelphia area and now represents a rare opportunity to own a very special British roadster with family provenance that's been lovingly maintained.

Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price. All prices are before state, city and county tax, tag, title and license fees. Out of state buyers are responsible for all state, county, city taxes and fees, as well as title/registration fees in the state that the vehicle will be registered. Classic Auto Mall is not responsible for errors and omissions. Please verify listings with dealer. Vehicles may require VIN verification and/or safety and emissions inspections to transfer ownership and register the vehicle in the declared state of residence. Please check with your local DMV office to ensure compliance with your states titling and registration process.

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