Highlights

• Custom-built V8 Toledo
• Fitted with a 3l Stag engine
• Dolomite Sprint under pinning’s
• Very quick on the road
• Interior upgrades – Rover BRM seats

The Appeal

The History and Paperwork

• Starting life out as a 1974 Toledo this example started its transformation in 2005
• The current owner had a fascination with both standard and modified Triumph cars
• The opportunity arose to purchase a Triumph Stag 3.0l V8 attached to a specially modified Dolomite subframe and overdrive gearbox 
• It was off to the races after this purchase and the lengthy conversion began 
• There is a long list of parts purchased to create this marriage and you’ll find them in the following bullet points 
• The heart of the build is a Stag 3000cc V8 engine with a modified Sprint subframe
• This is then attached to a Sprint overdrive gearbox and gearbox mount
• Power is then transferred through a Sprint back axle and prop
• To help stop an Australian big front disc kit 
• Full suspension poly-bushing with GAZ adjustable shocks all around
• 1-inch drop uprated coil springs all round
• 8 Spoke MGF 15” Alloy Wheels in Black (MGF steel space saver spare)
• Four new tyres were fitted a few years ago with little use: 185 55 R15s
• A marvellous side exit exhaust is also fitted
• Sparkrite Electronic ignition
• GPS head up display speedo (hidden in the dash speaker cover)
• A new steering rack and suspension ball joints were fitted 
• Triumph Dolomite 1850 (1980, essentially Sprint spec ) wiring loom and dash installed with matching
• Stag V8 tachometer
• The fuse box was bought into the cabin and additional fuses were installed. This is all functional but could benefit from some tidying
• Dolomite rear bumper centre with reversed number plate light fitted with LED bulbs for reverse light
• Rover 200 BRM red leather interior installed including elements in the door cards and the handbrake lever 
• Door speakers fitted and wired; no stereo installed.
• New headlining and insulation.
• 3 x Passenger grab handles with magnetic hold back (leather Duchess style).
• 4 x interior lights
• New carpets 
• Electric windows installed
• The passenger side is a little slow
• Fob-operated central locking
• As you can see, no leaf was left unturned during the build
• This makes for one unique Toledo that’s for sure 

The Interior

• Inside this custom V8 it does look very nice indeed
• The original seats have been replaced in favour of some out of a Rover 200 BRM
• These seats are trimmed in a very striking red leather
• The leather has been used and worn in nicely
• Meaning that it is nice and supple
• These seats do complement the exterior off-white/cream colour rather nicely and add another talking point to the already eye catching car
• It’s not just the seats that are trimmed in this material
• You’ll also find it around the gear stick, and on the door cards as well 
• Originally the car came with a Webasto roof, but the current owner has decided to get rid of this feature
• Now you’ll find a headliner that stretches uninterrupted from front to back 
• It should be noted that this too is in lovely condition
• New carpets have been fitted throughout the cabin and look in great condition 
• Under the dash there is some wiring, you may wish to tidy this up, but it is all functional 
• When you’re moving there is a GPS head-up-display set into the dash, useful for some more accurate speed readings
• The dash is the very recognisable Triumph dash, the dark wood veneer stretches across and looks lovely 
• Overall, the interior is in very good condition
• You may wish to do some tidying with the wires, but apart from this all the hard work has been done for you 

The Exterior 

• Externally this Toledo has stayed close to its roots 
• There are no major additions to the exterior at all
• The only big modification was the filling in of the Webasto sunroof 
• This was filled with a panel from a scrap car with new vinyl applied over the top
• Speaking of vinyl, you can see from the photos that it is in great condition on this car 
• Sometimes it can bubble and peel away on the rear pillars, but there isn’t any of this present on this example
• You may notice a few areas of surface corrosion to the bodywork, but these just add to the character 
• Underneath however the car has been rust proofed and should outlive us all
• It also hides the V8 under the bonnet so you should be able to surprise a few people
• Speaking of the V8, its exhaust routes out the side near the passenger door
• Side exit exhausts are very cool and rank up there with pop-up headlights
• You will notice the fans up front for the radiator, this is part of the uprated cooling package for the notorious Stag engine
• This is a real sleeper of a classic that no one would suspect at first
• There are only a couple of tells on the exterior that point toward its engine
• Overall, the exterior is presented in solid condition

The Mechanics 

• Not normally a place a Toledo would shine, but we all know that this isn’t a normal Toledo
• Lifting the bonnet reveals the 3.0l Stag V8 
• Having received a full flush it should be pretty clean internally, which in turn should improve its cooling 
• Speaking of the cooling the radiator unit is actually from a Mercedes 
• On the road, it does a good job, but temperatures may slowly increase whilst sitting in a very slow moving car show queue
• There is an additional radiator that’ll come with the car which may help as a second unit
• Or you may even wish to get a custom unit made up 
• This very acute cooling niggle shouldn’t put you off of what is an otherwise incredible-performing classic
• The Stag V8 pulls this car along very nicely
• Once it was bought up to temperature this was displayed on the day of the photoshoot 
• Along with producing an amazing soundtrack out of its side exit exhaust, it got up to national speed limits without a problem 
• This was in turn indicated through the head-up-display
• The four-speed gearbox does have an overdrive function which improves the cruising capabilities
• This is one of those classics that just bring pure joy whilst out on the road 
• It provides a great soundtrack that is slowly dying out
• The driving characteristics should make you fall in love with driving all over again

Summary