Description

1971 Triumph Stag

Rover 3.5 V8 conversion; manual overdrive; wire wheels; recently unearthed from a period in storage; use and improve

"If one car sums up all that was good and bad about the British car industry, then it must be the Triumph Stag. Where it was good it was brilliant; and where it was bad it was terrible."
As the excellent Honest John website makes clear, the Michelotti-designed Stag was one of the most charismatic sports tourers ever produced on these shores but it was also bedevilled with typical 1970s build quality issues, particularly where the engine was concerned which was prone to catastrophic overheating.
Within two years of its launch, several companies had sprung up offering engine transplants, the V6 Ford and Rover V8 units being the most common alternatives. Had the internal politics at BL not prevented the use of the lovely Buick-derived Rover 3.5 V8, the story of the Stag would have been very different, its elegance, practicality and sophistication adding up to a winning package that has long made it one of Britain’s best-loved classic cars.
First registered in March 1971, this early Stag Mk1 Manual Overdrive appears to have received a Rover V8 engine transplant some years ago, an invoice from 2007 showing that it was already in place then when a new Facet electronic fuel pump was fitted along with a new coil and a replacement alternator. The power bulge in the bonnet is there to clear the carbs on the taller Rover engine.
Other than that there is no real history with the car apart from an old MOT from 1990 at which point the mileage was recorded as 45,159, a figure which has since risen to 60,475 miles. An online MOT history check shows that the last MOT expired on 23^rd April this year with just a couple of minor advisories although it had not had another MOT for at least 15 years prior to that so it has clearly been off the road for most of that time.
Riding on after-market wire wheels, it is no show queen and we struggled to get the hood down properly but it appears to be in fair condition overall, as you can see in the photos. Being offered here at a very reasonable guide price, it would doubtless benefit from a good service before being pressed back into regular use and could be smartened up over time as desired.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com