Triumph Stag Manual

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The inception of the Triumph Stag came about thanks to the close personal relationship between Harry Webster, Triumph’s Director of Engineering, and Giovanni Michelotti, head of the firm responsible for much of Triumph’s styling.

Giovanni Michelotti had harbored the notion of a four-seater GT for some time, eventually asking Webster if they could undertake a styling exercise at their own expense. Webster gave them the nod and they soon got to work producing a mock-up of what was to become the Triumph Stag. 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 such as the Mercedes SL. Powered by an all-new 3-litre V8, its 145bhp was sufficient to push the car to 115mph. Over 25,900 were eventually made, with around 9,000 still in existence according to the Stag club – a very healthy survival rate indeed.

Spotted by the vendor in the Swansea small ads in June 2013, this attractive French Blue Stag had spent the previous 27 years of its life in the owner’s Mum’s garage. When parked-up it had just had an engine rebuild, the owner then deciding that it really needed the gearbox doing too. Stripped for action, work soon ground to a halt, the current owner acquiring the car as a part dismantled project.

The accompanying Heritage Certificate gives a manufacture date of 13th December 1972, the car being dispatched to Botwoods Ltd in Ipswich on 11th January the following year. Built as a manual model with overdrive, this matching numbers example left the factory painted French Blue with black trim and hood and was first registered to a Mr Howard who kept the car until 1979. It retains the original service book and sufficient old MOTs to substantiate the odometer reading of 99,000miles.

The vendor, who has had a lot of experience with the model, set about a comprehensive recommissioning. This included stripping the gearbox and fitting new bearings and overdrive solenoid. The engine was dismantled for inspection and built up with new shell bearings, piston rings and valves, the block having been given a thorough cleaning through. An upgraded radiator was fitted, along with numerous small components and rubber seals which were needed to bring the car up to scratch. The large number of bills and invoices on file cover most of the expenditure to date.

The original interior is described as good with no tears or rips as is the hood. When completed, the car was taken to have the tracking professionally set up, the vendor informing us that it runs and drives as it should, although there is a slight wine from the differential at speeds over 50mph which would have been his next job to sort out.

This matching numbers, tax exempt manual Stag ticks all of the boxes, looking particuarly good in its unusual and original shade of French Blue.