Paul,
Yes, in fact I do own a Swallow Doretti and a TR2 and TR3 and all all those
other things I listed. However i must admit that very few of them run. The
Doretti I have was my father-in-laws car. He bought it in the early '70's
for fun transportation. He had always owned interesting cars and liked
having something different. He also knew Dorothy Deen from his days racing
TR2s here in Ca. Dorothy Deen is the namesake of the Doretti and was the
president of Cal Sales, the Doretti importer and the TR importer for the
western U.S. She's still around and I've had the pleasure of talking with
her at length and she is a facinating lady.
The Doretti was conceived for the American market in late '52 early '53 when
we could'nt buy sports cars fast enough. The car was based around TR2
mechanicals and the project was supported by Triumph. There was a movement
to have Triumph take over the project and make it a Triumph model but this
was squashed for internal political reasons. This is covered pretty well in
the Triumph history books.
Most people think of it as a competitor to the TR2 when in fact it was
designed as more of a Grand Touring car as opposed to a Sports Car. The
Doretti used TR2 engine, gearbox, driveshaft and diff. The engine was placed
seven inches farther back than in a TR and the Doretti wheelbase was also
seven inches longer. The Doretti front track was 48 inches as opposed to the
TR2s 45. The front suspension and steering were also TR2. The frame of the
Doretti was its outstanding feature. It user parallel longitudinal large
diameter chromoly steel tubes with "U" channels welded top and bottom and
nemerous cross braces. The frame was very stiff. Several Dorettis here in
the U.S had V8s dropped into them and the frame stood up to the weight and
power with no problem. Brakes and the diff were a different story. The body
was made up of aluminum panels bolted to a steel subframe. The doors however
were steel. The interior was nicely trimmed with full instruments, a heater,
and TR2 seats. A fitted suitcase was included that strapped to the shelf
behind the seats. This was necessary beacause the trunk was almost taken up
with the spare. Most cars were fitted with wire wheels, OD, and a radio. The
car ended up being fully 400 lbs heavier than a TR2 and about $800 more
expensive.Remember the TR2 was pretty bare bones, heater was extra cost. The
Doretti was intended to be a step above the TR2, and still well below the
Jag. The best source for Doretti history by far is Automobile Quarterly Vol.
34 No. 2. The piece on the Doretti is the best yet and the companion piece
on Dorothy Deen is pretty good also.
I have driven 3 different Dorettis, (mine was bashed pretty bad by a drunk
driver while parked when my father-in-law still owned it) each in various
states of condition from pretty dismal to well cared for original. I've also
driven a couple TR3's, both pretty good examples. Despite the extra weight,
the performance is about equal. The Dorettis longer wheelbase and stiff
chassis give it a little bit nicer ride and good handling. The brakes on a
Doretti are TR2 drums and are adequate if they are in good condition. The
Doretti was never properly developed. The "production" car was virtually
identical to the prototype and suggested changes were not incorporated until
the Mk II (only 2 built!) The driving position is awkward as you are too
close to the steering wheel and the drivers footwell on LHD cars gets really
hot from the exhaust. Some owners cut vents in the fenders to try and pull
out some of the hot air. The instrument layout in kind of funky with the
tach infront of the driver and the speedo in front of the passenger. The
rest of the instruments are in a cluster in the center ala TR2/3.
My Doretti (my wife's really) is chassis #1030 (the 31st car, as production
started at #1000) and originally had engine #TS454E. 275 Dorettis were built
not counting the (possibly 2) prototypes and some cars built up from left
over parts (possibly up to 6 cars). About 175 cars are still known to exist
mostly here in the U.S. There are about a dozen in Ca. that I know about.
We've had the car about 10 years now and have really been just learning
about it and gathering parts. I hope to start restoration late next year.
The car was badly damaged in the left rear when hit by aforementioned drunk
and the car was shoved forward into the family Subaru wagon (totaling
Subaru). The car was started and driven into the garage and sat for about 8
years until my wife and I persuaded father-in-law to let us tackle it. He
had first to rebody the car with a fiberglass Devin body he bought only to
discover it was for a TR and was too short for the Doretti. We got the Devin
body also.
The Norton is another non-runner but was a deal I couldn't pass up. I'll
probably do the Norton after I finish my Vitesse, hopefully mid 96.
I am another person with fractional Triumphs but hey, they were cheap and I
can never decide which one to get rid of.
Cheers
Kurt Oblinger
'54 TR2 '57 TR3 '62 Vitesse Convt. '64 Mini-Cooper 970S '80 TR7 Spider
'71 Norton Comando 750SS '5? Devin '55 Chevy Bel-Air 4-dr wagon
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