1971 Triumph Stag

This car was won in a competition last month run by established dealers Bridge Classic Cars in Woodbridge, Suffolk, which acquired the car from Turn Two Classics in Northamptonshire. Bridge holds regular prize drawers, and their website contains details of their many past and present competitions.

The lucky winner decided he didn’t want to keep the car, preferring instead to sell it straight on and pocket the cash. No accounting for taste, but there you are…

His loss is potentially your gain as this Stag is a beauty.

It is period correct and comes with all its original early features, such as the correct Rostyle wheels, low back seats and original dashboard.

A three-owner car, the last two main owners clocked up a combined 41 years. They obviously loved it! Owner two kept the car from 1980 to 2009 and he was a motor engineer.

The car comes with a large history file and has benefitted from over £3,000 worth of expenditure in 2019 to keep it fresh and earlier had a full body restoration.

So, fire up that burbling V8, engage first gear and you are off, wind in your hair, admiring glances coming your way. Appealing thought, isn’t it? Well read on and then get bidding for this rare and collectable early Stag.

Brown cars were all the rage in the 1970s, especially if they emanated from a British Leyland factory. It’s Sienna Brown by the way. We think it rather suits the car, but what do we know?

As already mentioned, the Stag had a professional restoration and respray, and this appears to have been done to a high standard. We can find little to criticise. Take a look at the pictures for yourself and gaze with wonderment.

The black hood contrast nicely and this would appear to be quite new.

We are so glad the Rostyle wheel remain on the car and whoever refurbished them clearly knew what they were doing.

There’s lots of chrome, as was the way, and this is either newly replaced or rechromed we think. It looks great, just stock up on chrome cleaner to keep it that way.

There is no hard top with the car, but these are readily available if you should desire. As this is likely to be a summer car for high days and holidays, then surely open-air motoring is what it is all about.

The original low back seats, mighty desirable as many early cars have had them replaced, look to be in good order, save for a little wear to the driver’s seat on the bolster. The colour complements the exterior Sienna rather well.

Door cards match, though they do show some marks commensurate with age.

We note that there are some rear seat belts and yes, adults do fit with the caveat that it gets rather breezy back there. It’s fine for a short hop to the pub and children will love it!

The Stag has a decent sized boot, ideal for touring and weekends away. A full-size spare fits under the floor along with the tools.

Who doesn’t love a wood dash, and the veneer offering in the Stag completes the look. There are signs of cracking in places, and some might think a refurb is in order. Smiths gauges present plenty of information, to help keep you on the straight and narrow. We would be inclined to ditch the modern radio/CD player for something a bit more in keeping with that 70s vibe.

Our car boasts the four-speed manual gearbox, a smooth operator, and there is overdrive on third and fourth for relaxed touring.

The Stag still boasts the correct Triumph 3.0-litre V8 engine. Those in the know will acknowledge that there were overheating issues with this engine.

You will therefore be pleased to note that an oversized radiator has been fitted alongside a Kenlowe fan. Cool eh?

Other improvements include polybush suspension for a smooth ride and a modern alternator.

The engine compartment is neat and tidy and shows all the hallmarks of careful ownership and considerable expenditure.

The car’s underside looks to be in excellent order and clearly benefitted from the restoration programme. It would seem likely that the car has been dry stored when not in use and probably only taken out on dry days.

The extensive history file contains many invoices from specialist Rimmer brothers. Take a look to see the many part bought from them over the years.

There are bills for substantial suspension works and we can see that a new diff was fitted.

We are told that over £3,000 was spent in 2019, the aim being to make this car as perfect and reliable as possible.

It is worth spending a little time perusing the invoices in order to gain insight into what has been carried out and when.

We always like to see a large wad of old MoT certificates, even though the DVLA’s website now contains chapter and verse. A new certificate was issued last month, even though the car is now tax and MoT exempt.

The car also still has its original owner’s manual, a lovely touch.

An early Triumph Stag is a rare beast indeed, though not quite ready for extinction just yet. Long-term ownership is always a good sign (let’s ignore the competition winner) as it invariably means care and attention will have been lavished upon the car.

An unusual colour also means this car will stand out from the crowd and unlike most convertible sports cars of the era, it does not have to be enjoyed alone.

Summer is allegedly just around the corner and what better way to enjoy it than from behind the wheel of a convertible car, V8 engine burbling away merrily, a country pub the end destination. That could be you, so get bidding right away.

We estimate the car will sell for between £12,000 and £15,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’