Swallow

1. Swallow were motorcycles produced from 1903 to 1905, by a Mr Hodge, at his garage in Park Lane, Tottenham, London. The name appeared on cars as well as motorcycles.

His machines used Chater-Lea frames fitted with Minerva and Fafnir engines, and a two-speed gear where required. A forecar model was also offered; this too with the Fafnir engine.

It is thought that normal garage business brought this venture to an end.

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2. Swallow of Walsall, Staffordshire, produced the Gadabout scooter from 1947 to 1951.

• 1947 Already well known for its sidecars, the firm introduced the Gadabout. It was fairly basic and lacked performance. This was due to the combination of its weight and the use of the small Villiers 9D pre-war engine.

• 1950 The engine was upgraded to the later 10D.

• 1951 A newer version, fitted with the 197cc 6E unit and called the Major, was introduced. The arrival of the sleek and stylish Italian makes brought production to a close.

• Note: The firm continued with its production of sidecars and then concentrated on the Swallow Dioretti sports car.

Sources of Information

• The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
• The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle by Peter Henshaw. Published 2007. ISBN 978 1 8401 3967 9