• All necessary parts present

• Many spare parts, including cylinder heads

• An involving project to get stuck into over winter

The Triumph Stag brought something new to the British motoring scene on its launch in 1970. Triumph’s established Spitfire and TR-series were sports cars in the traditional sense, two-seaters which derived their sporty characteristics from light weight and nimble handling more than brute power. The Stag was built to an entirely different formula. An American would have called it a ‘personal luxury’ car – one capable of seating four in comfort but intended primarily for the enjoyment of the driver and their companion. It wasn’t a rival to American cars, though. It just enjoyed a corner of the British market all to itself.

The heart of the Stag was a rumbling three-litre, overhead-cam V8, lazy at low revs but harbouring some considerable energy, waiting to be released at the command of the driver’s right foot. Around half of all Stags were fitted with a Borg-Warner Type 35 automatic gearbox from the factory, but manual with overdrive was an option which is now much sought-after today. That allowed it to be driven quite effortlessly, and the Stag’s combination of size, comfort and power made it the perfect car for long-distance, open-road runs. Built as a convertible, but with the option of an eventually standardised hardtop, it was a car you could enjoy in any weather, too.

As the Stag was moderately expensive when new, it sold well but not in vast numbers. Around 19,000 were sold in Britain from 1970 to 1977, but they have survived well to become one of today’s most popular classics, with a thriving club scene and good parts availability.

This Kent-registered Stag has been off the road since 2008. The vendor acquired it early in 2021 from a Triumph enthusiast in Ruislip but, other than buying various spare parts, has not done anything with the car during his ownership. 

He has now decided that the project would be better suited to someone else, and hence is offering the car for sale.

The car comes with its V5C. Bidders will note that its chassis plate is not currently affixed to the car and is therefore to be provided with the documentation.

The Stag’s interior has been completely stripped, but we are advised that all the parts are present for reassembly. Although rather messy at the moment, the floors look at first sight to be solid, although a proper restoration would require a lot of surface rust to be removed before everything goes back together. Although the Stag has obviously deteriorated in places, the interior seems to have survived remarkably well and the seats and door cards could easily be given a quick clean and then refitted, and they would look completely presentable, except that one door card is grey while the rest of the interior is black.

Of course, there is a lot of wiring for the Stag’s interior electrics and it may be advisable for a specialist vehicle electrician to fully rewire the car, as we cannot guarantee that the present wiring is in a fit state to reuse.

The headlining has some marks on it but does not appear to be torn. The steering wheel looks in good condition, and there is a second steering wheel among the spares.

Obviously, the Stag has suffered somewhat from the ravages of time and now requires a full cosmetic restoration. In the present ownership, it has been stored in a container where it has been exposed to some damp, but this is unlikely to have done it much harm over just a few months.

Where some of the paint has been stripped away, surface rust has spread across the bare metal. Unfortunately, holes have appeared in the metal in certain places, such as in one corner of the boot lid, at the edges of the hardtop roof and in the wings around the wheel arches. There is evidence of the front nearside and rear offside wheel arches having been repaired in the past with metal plates. Rust has also set in on the front valance and sills, so those areas will require some welding.

Although the car has been stripped of its trim leaving essentially the bare shell, we are assured that absolutely everything is present. The nearside door has already been replaced, although the original door is included, and the bonnet from another Stag is also present.

The bumpers do not look to be in a bad way, although they will need to be rechromed and there is a small dent to be knocked out of the rear bumper. Apart from the fact that the tyres are flat and, due to their age, should really be replaced, the wheels appear to be in good condition, albeit in need of cosmetic refurbishment.

Suffice it to say, this Stag is not presently in a running state and has not been for some time, so it is going to need a comprehensive mechanical overhaul. While we are not in a position to comment on the condition of individual parts, an engine rebuild would perhaps be advisable to ensure the car runs well for the long term, and the braking system will want to be at least thoroughly refreshed with new hoses, seals and so on. 

Gearboxes and back axles tend to go on for thousands and thousands of miles before they wear out, so we suspect they will require nothing besides a change of fluids, but we cannot make any guarantees. As we have observed, the electrics are presently in a state of mild disarray and would benefit from the attention of a professional vehicle electrician.

As with the rest of the car, we are assured that not only is everything present and correct, but there is an abundance of spare parts besides. Among the spares are two cylinder heads and several starter motors and alternators.

Triumph Stags rank among the most popular classic cars for many reasons – they are handsome, powerful, can seat a family for in comfort and are, in many ways, the perfect long-distance touring car. They also happen to have extremely strong club support and excellent spares availability, which makes them popular with restorers, too. Anyone looking for a project could do much worse than to pick this one up. 

While some of the jobs, such as welding and wiring, may be better suited to an experienced restorer, everything you need is present and the bulk of the work should be a matter of simply putting the car back together. Realistically, it could be back on the road if not by next summer then for the summer of 2023, and it’s sure to provide a lot of enjoyment.