This year has seen more cars than usual for sale. Perhaps, the unique virtues of the Doretti have at last been recognized, or is it some people are out to make a fast buck. In September, Nigel Partridge's Chassis No.1122, (PCD 514), was sold for a significant amount at the Brightwell Auction.
Then in their December auction it was the turn of Chassis No.1171, RLL 276 owned by Trevor Davies to go under the hammer.
In the United States, Brian Rooney has owned Chassis No.1227 for the past four years but it has never been raced, just displayed at shows where it creates a lot of attention. Brian is now considering selling the car if anyone is interested, let me know.
Roger Giles has now made the booking arrangements for the Swallow Doretti owners who will be participating in the outing to Classic Le Mans 2010 event. Correspondence with the organizers suggests that we will be given the same ‘pitch’, inside the Bugatti circuit, reserved exclusively for Swallow Doretti owners. This means your car will be parked only a few minutes walk from the paddock and the start/finish line. Any European owners are very welcome to join us at Le Mans.
If you require any more information please contact Roger at roger.giles@hotmail.com
Last month I received an email from Eloise Fortat in France on behalf of her uncle André Bouisset who recognized his Doretti which was listed in the unidentified section of the website. He has owned Chassis No.1268 since 8th of October 1976 and is actually restoring it at the present time.
Over the last year I have been reading through a sheaf of material written by Frank Rainbow and kindly loaned to me by Helen Rainbow. Most of it is concerned with his views of cars and car-makers but there are a number of items that are of personal historical interest. An article written in 1985 referred to Frank’s first meeting with Walter Belgrove in 1949. At this time, Walter was working as Chief Stylist and Body Engineer with Standard-Triumph and would eventually go on to style the Triumph TR2 which went on sale in 1953. At this time Frank was unaware that Walter had been Chief Stylist with the pre-war Triumph Motor Company and had styled a whole range of excellent cars.
Both men had a great deal in common and became firm friends over the years and Frank was able to appreciate Walter’s “great artistic talents, discernment, sensitivity and a great sense of humour.” The two of them had many discussions on the merits of pre-war Triumphs as Frank had owned a 1934 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross sports car and also a 1935 Gloria Vitesse sports saloon. Later in the article Frank says, that in retrospect he is “quite convinced that Belgrove achieved his best work long before I met him and his later post-war work was full of frustration and interference.” After Frank left the TI Group he joined Standard-Triumph and would often go to Walter’s office and find him “with his head in his hands and before him a glass of milk and a biscuit to relieve stomach pains. He suffered from ulcers resulting from a deep sense of frustration. This is not a picture of a happy creative man.” Frank’s final sentence sums up the bond that developed between them. “Regretfully, my friend Walter Belgrove is no longer with us but I count myself proud to have known him so well and to have enjoyed so many happy occasions with him.
Thank you to all the people who send me information and I will try to concentrate on getting the website updated. I’m afraid the distraction of another of Frank’s many creations (a Swallow Gadabout scooter) has provided me with an excuse to neglect other things. However it’s New Year and time to make some firm resolutions about getting organized. Well, we will see how long that lasts!