Swallow Doretti research

[doretti]

A Swallow Doretti owner in South Africa has recently been in contact with me, to enquire about the existence of another Doretti in the country. I do have a faint memory of some mention of this other vehicle but cannot find any documentary evidence in my own personal collection of information. In the past I would have written to classic car magazines, and car clubs asking for their help in finding the elusive Doretti. Many times I would be successful and another Doretti could be added the growing list of cars built by Swallow Coachbuilding. After production of the Doretti was ended, no factory records seem to have been retained, in contrast to the Standard-Triumph build records presently available.

I first became interested in the Doretti around 1985 through my friend the late Jim Williams. who in 1956 bought the last chassis and body panels from the liquidator at the factory, all for £88 delivered. Eventually, having bought my first Doretti and finding little information available,  I made the decision to compile a record of all the cars built on a Doretti chassis. With information from the late Cyril Harvey and many others around the world, there now exists a list more than two hundred Doretti sports cars located in over twenty countries. This list is completely separate from the TR Register's database of Doretti vehicles, because most Doretti owners are not TRR members.

To get back on track – I would like to know if it is permissible, bearing in mind GDPR, whether as an individual I can continue to carry on with my personal Doretti research. Should any restrictions be deemed necessary would they also apply to family history research.

Ken

[Mick Forey]

pm send re your GDPR  question.

[2long]

Sorry for being daft but what is GDPR?  Also Ken, is your Doretti research available to the ordinary man?   I would love to peruse more info on the Doretti.

Cheers

Dan

[Mick Forey]

General Data Protection Regulations - an updated Data Protection Act that has more teeth to prosecute and fine companies that seriously transgress. British Airways were fined £183m for not protecting their customers personal data. Makes you take notice. https://www.tr-register.co.uk/gdpr-policy

Mick

[doretti]

Dan

Lots of information is available on the Swallow Doretti website: www.doretti.co.uk

Ken

[Dic Doretti]

Hi Ken

            Your knowledge of the Swallow Doretti is unsurpassed after taking over Cyril Harvey's research and the position of Swallow Doretti Registrar which you held for 20 years and continued to research the marque. You met Frank Rainbow who designed the Doretti and his secretary, Helen and interviewed John Churchley who took over the spares stock from the factory and continued to sell them long after production had ceased.

            Your website provides important information for people interested in Swallow Dorettis but I suspect it is only a small part of your bulging archive of car details both historic and current and reminiscences from owners and interested parties. Perhaps now is the time to set this down on paper and write a book on the Doretti which has never been done apart from road tests. It could include chapters on the early history of the company, set up in Blackpool by William Lyons making motorcycle sidecars, the prewar sports cars, the post war years in Walsall making sidecars, the Doretti and Gadabout scooter of which I know you have an interest and the sudden halt in production of the Doretti. I know I would buy a copy.

            Cheers Richard

[doretti]

PM sent to Richard.

[Dic Doretti]

Hi Ken

           I think you may be mistaken about the sales if you adopt a multi faceted approach covering a lot of areas which have not been seen in print. Firstly you could cover the start up of the Swallow company with the partnership of William Lyons and William Warmsley in Blackpool and the production of motorcycle sidecars. Then a section on the special bodied cars like the Austin Seven Swallow which probably have not been covered anywhere else, followed by the tie up with Standard and the SS sports cars. Then the Jaguar company was created and the Swallow Coach Building company sold off to continue making sidecars, you will know the details. 

          Was it a chance meeting with a Californian car distributor which lead to the creation of the Swallow Doretti, marketed by the glamorous Dorothy Dean. I think there are 2 prototypes which still exist, and a number of changes to the specification during the production run which could be covered followed by the 2 Mk 2 Sabres and a number of post production cars, possibly around 12 and a car used as a testbed by Triumph. Possibly a section on why production stopped and the disposal of the spares and Monkspath Garage who sold the spares and built a Kenmar prototype on a Swallow chassis, they also built the Shirley sports car. I bet their history has not been documented.

          Finally Swallow built the Gadabout scooter in a number of guises and a prototype Joyrider which did not capture the public's imagination like the later Vespas and Lambrettas and the sidecar market was failing. So plenty there to appeal to specific markets or those interested in the general history of a facet of the motor industry. Sidecars, utilitarian specials, luxury sports cars, postwar sports cars, kit cars and scooters. Plenty there to read about.

         Cheers Richard

[2long]

Appreciate all the information in this thread, and am grateful that people have taken the time to preserve what documents are left and gather it together.

Amazingly enough, Ken was able to dig up a letter almost 40 years old between a representative of Tube Investment and the original owner of my car, outlining historical background on the marque!   Even then (1984), the TR Register was recognized as an important repository.

Thank you Ken!

Cheers

Dan