The company co-founded by William Walmsley and William Lyons in 1922, which traded under the name Swallow Sidecar Company, progressively developed into a coachbuilder following its start making stylish sidecars for motorcycles. In May 1927, Swallow announced that it would make a 2-seater body to fit the Austin 7 chassis and running gear. The resulting open car – the Austin Seven Swallow Two-Seater, which was also available with a Coupe hardtop - proved successful and was soon followed by the Austin Seven Swallow Saloon. The curvaceous Saloon followed the height of contemporary car fashion, having a fully rounded back to the body. Like the Two-Seater, it used striking two-tone, Art Deco-style paintwork, which accentuated the car’s streamlined shape.

The Austin Seven Swallow is often regarded as the first step in the creation of the Jaguar marque as, within a couple of years, William Lyons went on to establish SS Cars Ltd, building complete vehicles under the SS name during the 1930s. This name was changed to Jaguar Cars Ltd in 1945, at the end of the Second World War.

This Open Two-Seater model was built in 1929 and was fully restored by Le Riche Automobile in the early 2000s. This restoration covered all aspects of the cars build – mechanical work; metalwork; ash frame and upholstery/trim.

Together with its Saloon model stablemate (see separate listing), it was exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (California, USA) in 2003. They were then both shown at the July 2004 European Concours d’Elegance in Dusseldorf, each winning their respective class. These cars have been exhibited at many subsequent events and have accumulated a few trophies to their name, most recently appearing in the 2023 Jersey Concours d’Elegance.