Name that car

[The Doc]

Sorry, Bob, I've cheated a bit, but I've left off the car's model to see if anyone else can spot it. I just can't resist an ID challenge whatever it is   :




Chassis No.1181  Owner: Eddy de Heus
Location: Netherlands

Bob Lock, a previous owner, restored No.1181 after discovering it in 1989, tucked away in the back of a garage in Swansea. The car was in a very dilapidated condition and had served as the sleeping place for a Doberman (and also it's toilet). At the time Bob owned and drove a Triumph TR4 which he had to sell to make room for the ...... as he only had a single garage. Bob's wife thought he was mad when he got the car home because it was stinking of dog poo and old oil. However, Bob knew it was a rarity and well worth the trouble of restoring. Six years later after a complete body-off restoration he was finally proved right, but it was a long, hard six years.
Jill Royle bought No.1181 in 1995.

[Nick]

I know the name of the car now, quite rare I would imagine. I cheated as well, looked up the registration mark but it didn't specify the make or model. Also tried looking up the makers badge on the front, no joy there. I've never heard of this particular car before. Where on earth did you get the spare parts ?

[Nick]

Wow, it is rare. Only 267 ever built !

[Nick]

Go on Bob, tell them what it is. You must be so proud of your achievement.

[mel]

Well done and a nice job.   me and a mate of mine did restore two old minis from scratch
real enjoyed ourselves .

[Bob]

Hehe, nice Googling Peterh!

Ok, it's a Swallow Doretti and it's a 1954 sports car made by Swallow Sidecars and before you all start laughing, bear in mind that Swallow Sidecars were also the fledgling (excuse pun) company founded by William Lyons (Jaguar) and they went on to build the SS Jag (the one with the beautiful flared mudguards and enormous headlights)

Before buying this Doretti I had a TR4 and was always trawling old garages for spares. One day I spotted this rundown old thing in the back of a garage and because I'm a bit of an aficionado of cars I recognised it as a Doretti and twisted the garage owner's arm to sell it to me. I only had a single garage and had to sell the TR to make room for the Doretti. The outer body is all aluminium, the inner is steel, the chassis is chrome molybdenum steel and when I went over it with a wire brush it just shone! The aluminium suffered some 'rust' (aluminium does have its equivalent to rust, it goes a powdery white through electrolysis where it was in contact with the steel inner body). The inner body was pretty bad and I had to get panels made and then I welded them into place. The aluminium was repaired where needed. The engine was rebuilt (mostly work farmed out but I did put it all together) The engine was a 2 litre TR2 one which was standard along with most of the running gear. Hardest things to find were a new windscreen, the rubbers, some panelling and re chroming for the bumpers etc.

However, it all went together in the end, flew through a special MOT and got back on the road. I drove it for about a year (always worried someone would run into me!) and got approached by Jill Royle's husband who wanted to buy it as a birthday present for her. I think her father was an original supplier of these cars and might even have had some tie to this one. As I'd knackered my back and couldn't drive it any more I let it go. Subsequently it got bought by Eddy de Heus and it lives in Holland now.

Of the 265 mk 1s built I think over 167 still survive, Jill Royle now has the only mk2 ever built (slightly different body shape) but I do know where there is another mk2 that exists and was never put together! It still is in its component parts and, if it's still there, resides in a friend's garage in...

[The Doc]

Great story Bob, and a great little car.