Solved: Allemano's № 473 - 1955 Ghia bodied Swallow Doretti (Chassis No. 1209)

barrett · February 03, 2015, 08:44:57 AM

Something in my memory is saying 'Ghia' but I'm not entirely convinced (as I wasn't the last time this was a puzzle!)

Year? 1954?

Carnut · February 03, 2015, 09:58:00 AM

Quote from: barrett on February 03, 2015, 08:44:57 AM
Something in my memory is saying 'Ghia' but I'm not entirely convinced (as I wasn't the last time this was a puzzle!)

Year? 1954?

Yes, Ghia is who is said to have designed (and built?) it but there does seem to be a bit of doubt about that.
1955 actually but we won't quibble!
It's S/N 1209 and Registration Number RLT 59.
How come I can't find the original puzzle? There was one I'm sure! Did you have any luck?

Wendax · February 03, 2015, 10:11:20 AM

The old hyphen trick again: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=13661.0

Carnut · February 03, 2015, 11:01:24 AM

Quote from: Wendax on February 03, 2015, 10:11:20 AM
The old hyphen trick again: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=13661.0

Aargh.. I thought I'd been clever this time and only searched using 'Doretti'...
Merged now.

Carnut · December 02, 2018, 01:13:53 PM

What's this car and who built it, for 1 point?:

Remember - solving puzzles using 'Google Search by Image' is BANNED on AutoPuzzles!

Spazmatron206 · December 20, 2018, 07:01:07 AM

Bits of Michelotto's XK but not too sure...

Carnut · December 20, 2018, 09:03:54 AM

Quote from: Spazmatron206 on December 20, 2018, 07:01:07 AM
Bits of Michelotto's XK bit not too sure...

Welcome to AutoPuzzles.
I can see exactly what you mean, but theres no relationship at all!

Carnut · January 03, 2019, 06:30:40 AM

Experts?

targhediferro · January 03, 2019, 07:34:16 AM

Saab?

Carnut · January 03, 2019, 07:55:45 AM

Quote from: targhediferro on January 03, 2019, 07:34:16 AM
Saab?

No

Mogul · January 03, 2019, 09:25:26 AM

Aston Martin connection?

Mogul · January 03, 2019, 09:29:42 AM

AC Cobra connection?

Carnut · January 03, 2019, 10:12:38 AM

No x 2 (and only one question at once Mogul, please remember!)

Mogul · January 04, 2019, 04:25:00 AM

Triumph connection?

barrett · January 04, 2019, 05:15:42 AM

Isn't this the supposedly Ghia-bodied Swallow Doretti? I'm sure we've had this as a puzzle before, but a long time ago...

Carnut · January 04, 2019, 07:40:19 AM

Sorry Mogul, the answer would have been that there is some connection but:

Quote from: barrett on January 04, 2019, 05:15:42 AM
Isn't this the supposedly Ghia-bodied Swallow Doretti? I'm sure we've had this as a puzzle before, but a long time ago...

Yes it is, so you get another point for solving it again!
I couldn't actually find the original puzzle (the hyphen problem again...) so I posted it again.
I should perhaps have used the picture below instead which might have made it a bit harder..

There was an article about the car in the December issue of Classic & Sports Car, but it didn't really have any new information about it. It still belongs to the guy who acquired it in 2004 but whilst he has restored the chassis and running gear he's reluctant to spend any time or money on the body unless he can find proof that it was actually built by Ghia. Whilst I can't see that it could possibly be anything else proof of provenance is everything of course so without that it would never achieve its full value, but all the same I personally would restore it as it's a wonderful example of a one-off of a very rare car from the 1950s so is well worth preserving whoever originally built it.

Puzzle merged again...

barrett · January 04, 2019, 08:15:23 AM

Prettier, and much more interesting, than a standard Doretti and definitely worth saving

Allemano · January 04, 2019, 08:31:09 AM

Would be so nice if there were some papers/documents or badges to prove the Ghia connection. Alas it's not mentioned in any of the sources about Ghia as far as I know. Don't have access to the Ghia Catalogue Raisonné, but think it's not to find there either.

Paul Jaray · January 04, 2019, 09:59:16 AM

Quote from: Allemano on January 04, 2019, 08:31:09 AM
.... Don't have access to the Ghia Catalogue Raisonné, but think it's not to find there either.

Your assumption is right!

Carnut · January 04, 2019, 11:28:10 AM

Of course it's quite possible that it was nothing to do with Ghia at all.
Looking at the shape of the car it doesn't really have the grace and cohesion one would normally associate with Ghia.
There has apparently never been any official record of a chassis being sent to Ghia and since there's no mention at all of this car in any book, historical or otherwise, about Ghia then I would say it could have been made by some fairly obscure English coachbuilder.
Just speculating!

Allemano · January 04, 2019, 12:05:16 PM

Quote from: Carnut on January 04, 2019, 11:28:10 AM
Of course it's quite possible that it was nothing to do with Ghia at all.
Looking at the shape of the car it doesn't really have the grace and cohesion one would normally associate with Ghia.
(...)

There quite some cars by Ghia which don't have that elegance and perfect balanced shape either. (Ghia MG TF "Everest", Bugatti 57, MB 300, etc.)
Not to mention that it could be potentially made by Ghia Aigle*, not Ghia Turin.

*look at their 1950 Jowett Jupiter

Carnut · January 05, 2019, 07:23:16 AM

Yes, I was just airing one possibility..
It may well have been done by Ghia-Aigle; they did body a few British cars in the 1950s.

Allemano · January 05, 2019, 01:38:25 PM

Quote from: Carnut on January 05, 2019, 07:23:16 AM
Yes, I was just airing one possibility..
It may well have been done by Ghia-Aigle; they did body a few British cars in the 1950s.

Bad news.. According to Stefan Dierkes of ghia-aigle.info there was never a Swallow Doretti bodied by Ghia-Aigle, so, the search goes on.

News:

Solved: Allemano's № 473 - 1955 Ghia bodied Swallow Doretti (Chassis No. 1209)