This Week on Hagerty Marketplace: Classics from Rare to Square
Welcome to This Week on Hagerty Marketplace, a recurring recap of the previous week’s most noteworthy cars and significant sales from the Hagerty Marketplace online auctions.
Hagerty launched its Marketplace just over two years ago, and as the platform continues to grow, we’re seeing greater variety in the kinds of cars offered, which only serves to benefit the enthusiasts out there on the hunt for the classic that best speaks to them. This week’s trio spoke to very specific tastes, with a pair of wildly different droptops sandwiching some very red personal luxury from the Blue Oval.
1954 Swallow Doretti
Sold for $39,055
Of the many automaking footnotes of the last century, few were as elegantly presented as the Swallow Doretti. An aluminum-bodied two-seat roadster produced by Swallow Coachbuilding (which was part of the Swallow Sidecar business that would become Jaguar postwar), the Doretti was aimed primarily at the American market. Designed by an ex-Bristol aircraft engineer named Frank Rainbow, the car featured a chromoly tube frame built around Triumph TR2 running gear. The Doretti was wider and longer than a TR2, with the 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine set farther back in the chassis, which gave it excellent weight distribution.
Named for Dorothy Deen, the daughter of its California importer, who herself ran a successful sports car accessories business under the Doretti name, the new sports car was a competent performer, and many were raced in period at tracks around the country, though with just 276 produced over 10 months, “many” is a relative term.
In their native England, priced at £1100 (roughly $3100 before options) the cars were £250 more expensive than the TR2 and about £100 more than an Austin-Healey 100, but they earned rave reviews.
Ultimately, it was Jaguar founder William Lyons who put the kabosh on Doretti production, as he was vocal in his displeasure that one of his major suppliers (Swallow parent company Tube Industries) was producing a sports car to rival his own. Production was over almost before it began.
This Swallow Doretti comes from 36-year ownership, during which a restoration was begun though not completed. Though not roadworthy, it is reported to start, drive, and stop. The body and paint look good from 10 feet, while the top and interior leather are quite aged. We’d rate it as a #4 condition (fair) example, and the sale price was spot on—not a ton of money for a rare car with plenty of available parts.
1960 Ford Thunderbird Hardtop
Sold for $14,445
Following a highly successful three years with the attractive, sporty, two-seat Thunderbird, Ford changed its corporate mind and took the T-Bird in a completely different direction—personal luxury. The car that hit showrooms in 1958 featured two extra seats, two added feet of length, luxury amenities galore, and plenty of sharp lines, and while enthusiast drivers shopping for Corvette alternatives might have been bent out of shape, John Q. Public had no such qualms. The new Thunderbird was a runaway sales success.
In the collector market, convertible variants of the “Square Bird” still hold their own against their first-gen counterparts, while hard-top versions have lagged behind in values. Hagerty values the 352-equipped convertible at roughly $21,000–$75,000, with #3 condition (good) cars falling around $33,000. Coupes like this red ’60, on the other hand, come in well under that, ranging from 28 grand for a concours-level example to a mere $5400 for a #4, fair-condition car. This #3 coupe brought a few grand better than its condition value. Beyond money, however, the result is a car with plenty of bang for the buck. The red over red is very attractive, and the entire car is well presented, with only a few minor nicks flagged in the listing. All the chrome and brightwork sparkle as well.
Personal luxury cruisers don’t come much redder, or better, than this one.
1969 Buick GS 400 Convertible
Sold for $32,100
Throughout the 1960s, Pontiac did its best to lead the charge as General Motors’ performance division, while Oldsmobile did a fine job as your father’s car. Buick, meanwhile, blurred the lines between performance and luxury, and the Gran Sport was a prime example of that effort.
Redesigned for 1968, the GS rode on a short 112-inch wheelbase and featured new “Sweepspear” styling down the sides, a big departure from the slab side styling of previous years. Power came from a new 400-cid V-8, which had replaced the long-serving 401 nailhead. Both coupes and convertibles were offered, and the ’69 convertible seen here is one of just 1776 open-top GS 400s built that year.
Said to be a Texas barn find picked up by the seller in 2022, this car’s Polar White paint is reported to be original and in good shape overall. The red vinyl interior, too, looks smart, while the engine bay is clean overall. This one looks to be a solid driver in #3 (good) condition, and its sale price was commensurate with that.
The only value in a 1960 T-Bird is as a museum piece to show off how adding a back seat to a beautiful car is a great way to ruin it. That exact same car without a rear seat would have lost none of its everyday functionality and would have been a far better car for it. Those cars were made to get the well healed executive or the up and comer to work in style, or going out with a (singular) friend now and then, not for hauling the family.
I can’t disagree that adding the rear seat ruined what the T-Bird originally was. But I do like the square Birds anyway. The decision to add the rear seat was purely a business decision which did increase sales increasing Ford’s profits which is the goal of every business which is why their in business in the first place. But I find the retro 2002-05 Thunderbird more affront to the original T-Bird with its English built Jaguar engine when the reliable American 4.6 was available, headlight design stolen for the Plymouth/Dodge Neon and ugly tail lights.
My first car at 15 1/2 years old was a 1959 tbird convertible. Mainly because I bought it for $275 and was able to drive it home. I drove it all through high school and parked it when gas got too expensive. I dont think I ever liked the look of the car but I did feel like I was driving a special and unique car. I loved the look when the top was down and I daily drove it without the top for 1 full year because I could not afford to replace it. It was a drought year in California so it was easy to dodge the rain days. I now own a 1966 Tbird convertible and love the looks of the ’66 way more than the ’59.
I like the Buick the best here but I still prefer Coupes.
Dad and I restored a ’59 convertible 40 years ago and loved cruising in it during the summer as a teenager. Four decades later, I still smile everytime I take it out for a drive.
One of my best friends in high school’s Dad had a 60 Squarebird. We would go on double dates, and he’d want me to drive my Dad’s 60 Impala convertible. Reason: the T-bird’s driver couldn’t get within a foot and a half of his date due to the high and wide console, while the back seat couple could snuggle up in the relative darkness provided by those little quarter windows. Not good for watching the submarine races along a dark stretch of A1A along Ft Lauderdale’s beach. Tom referred to that console as the “sex divider.” The Impala was much more accommodating, both front and back seats…
As an aside–ever seen one of these with a sliding metal sunroof?
Yes I have a Golde top …… with a 430MEL engine. One of 337 made with that combination. Now to finish brake work and get it on the road. Vern
Thunderbirds built after 1957 have got to be one of the biggest bargains in the collector car market. I kind of get why – they have an identity crisis. I am not a huge fan of T-Birds per se, but that is a LOT of car for $14 grand.