Lot number	9
Hammer value	£3,000
Description	Triumph Stag
Registration	XGC 955H
Year	1974
Colour	White
Engine size	2,500 cc
Chassis No.	LD325110

The Triumph Stag came into being because of the close relationship between Harry Webster, Triumph’s Director of Engineering, and Giovanni Michelotti who was already responsible for much of the styling work at Triumph.

Michelotti asked if they could undertake a styling exercise, on their own initiative, and soon got on with producing a mock up of the Stag concept. When presented to the bosses at Triumph, the response was immediate and the project to build the car got the go-ahead straight away.

Produced between 1970 and 1978, the Stag was conceived as a gentleman's sports tourer to compete head-on with rivals like the Mercedes SL. Powered by an all new 3.0 V8, its 145bhp was sufficient to push the car to 115mph. Just 25,900 were produced, with around 9000 still in existence according to the Stag club – a huge proportion of survivors.

It soon became apparent that all was not well with the new engine installation in service, with regular reports of overheating and warped heads circulating far and wide. This was a crying shame, as essentially the engine was a gem and solutions to all of the issues were rapidly found. Its questionable early reliability certainly affected sales and soon several specialist companies were offering engine transplants from other vehicles. Common amongst these was the larger, slower revving Rover V8, a Ford V6 and, as in this car here, the straight-six 2.5-litre Triumph engine.

It is believed to have been restored sometime in the late ‘90s when its colour was changed from the original black to the now highly fashionable white. It was purchased earlier this year by the vendor who, having miscalculated the size of his garage, struggles to access the car easily for regular use and is looking for something smaller.

He reports that it drives well and is MOTd until March 2015 and taxed until the end of this month. There are 16 old MOTs on file and it retains the original hard top.

This looks like the perfect opportunity to enter the Stag market at the lower end of the spectrum, with a running, reliable and smart looking example that can be enjoyed straight away.