1974 Triumph STAG

Not much is known about the car prior to January 1990, and that’s when a chap called Bill Jennings bought it. He proceeded to throw a heck of a lot of money at it (see period receipts and handwritten notes in the photo gallery) before having it fully re-painted in 1994.

When Bill passed away six years ago he left the car to two (yes, two!) people. That situation didn’t really work so one bought the other out, but after doing so the Stag was subsequently garaged up. It has only recently resurfaced and has just gone through a comprehensive mechanical re-commissioning by the vendor.

This has included brake hoses, a new pinion seal on the differential, new front shock absorbers, universal joints, brake calipers and a fresh MOT ticket (again, see receipts in the photo gallery). ‘Mechanically, it is a very good car,’ says Nigel, who carried out the work and is selling it. ‘The paintwork that Bill had carried out started to micro blister, which is down to water in the primer. However, the body itself is sound as a pound and if you look underneath there’s no evidence that it’s ever been welded; the inner sills, floor pans and wheel arches are all very solid.’

Bill commissioned Rimmer Bros to rebuild the V8 and that included the correct modifications to the cooling chamber and the fitting of new head bolts. ‘It really does drive well, and all the things that would cost a lot of money are all lovely,’ says Nigel. ‘With a re-paint I think this will be one of the very best Stags out there.’

The V5 shows that it’s had 15 owners since new and in that time it’s covered 107,394 miles.

Right, let’s get the worst bit out of the way; the Mimosa Yellow paintwork is fairly shocking, with bubbling (paint, not rust!) and micro-blistering present on most of the panels. It is particularly bad at the top of the front wings and on the inner scuttle panel where it has also cracked on the offside. To back up our claim that this is paint blisters, not corrosion, when parked in the sun, the spots erupt everywhere, but when put back in the shade, they calm right back down again…bit like a teenager.

Contrasting that though, are panels that line up well. Pop the doors, get down on your knees and there is no sign of any corrosion on the door bottoms. Run you fingers along the wheel arches and they feel first class and solid to the touch. The overall impression is of a straight and honest body. There’s a tiny touch of surface rust under the rear seat, but it should clean up nicely. We would never claim it is filler-free (it is a Stag after all), but we can’t see any sign of any.

The chrome is good, with lovely shiny bumpers and just a touch of pitting to the over riders, wing mirror stems and door handles. The five-spoke Stag alloy wheels look fine, but again may benefit from refurbishment; tread on all tyres is of a decent amount, but with the car having been parked up for a while it’s worth checking how long they’ve been on there.  

A Mountney wooden steering wheel is fitted, but the original Stag item comes with the car. Put that and the modern stereo aside and the interior ambience is definitely one of originality.

The varnish on the wooden dashboard and centre column panels isn’t too washed out, and the vinyl seats present without any splits. It must be said that they are very plump, and by far the most comfortable Stag examples we’ve had the pleasure of parking our derrieres in.

Up top the soft-top (fitted by Bill) is still in excellent condition, with the fabric still nice and pliant. The headlining looks decent and hood mechanism functions well, even if it is a tad crispy around the edges and would benefit from a rubdown and lick of paint.

Lifting the soft-top panel reveals the well that houses it to also be in fine, solid condition.

We’ve had quite a few Stags pass through The Market and can confirm wholeheartedly that this is easily the best to drive of the lot. It starts instantly and just continues in that vein. On the move it is just as impressive. The suspension and steering are tight and sharp, much sharper than other examples we’ve sampled. Gear changes are good, and the engine pulls strongly with no fluffing or misfires, just that typical gruff Stag note. The suspension feels without issue and the brakes are effective too. Rattles on the move are very limited too. As we said, it’s definitely a good ‘un.

The engine bay isn’t the prettiest and would benefit from some serious detailing action. If the next owner has the paintwork redone, then it’d make sense to tidy this area up too. A modern Kenlowe fan has been fitted to aid the V8’s cooling and a Dis-car-nect type battery isolator is attached to the battery.

At the rear, the boot presents in a similar fashion – a touch grubby, but with metal work solid in appearance – and there’s a slightly corroded spare wheel housed there. The boot also contains a large box full of old Stag Owners Club mags – enough to give one each as Christmas presents….?

Underneath, it’s a very healthy picture. We can confirm vendor Nigel’s thoughts on its solidity.

Bill Jenning’s period notes on the Stag border on the fanatical. Believe us, that’s a compliment, as they detail to the nth degree the work carried out on the car, as well as annual mileage and MOT work and tests carried out.

Also included in the car’s history file is a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Factory Record Certificate detailing colours, build numbers and destination country.

There are a huge number of previous MOT test certificates (including the current one that runs until 21/05/2020) as well as a British Leyland Stag by Triumph Repair Operation Manual. There’s no doubt that many of its first few owners would have had to resort to flicking through it in the hope of working out why it wasn’t functioning properly. However as Bill’s written word details that a new Rimmer Bros engine was fitted in April 1991, you can be assured that’s it’s definitely no longer required and instead is simply a nice thing to have.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and then maintained to a good standard.

You have a choice: from a distance it is presentable and as it drives very well, it could be run as is and bring many smiles. Personally though, we’d have it re-sprayed in order to have the overall package: tip-top externals will work with its strong & honest interior, and well-sorted mechanicals to provide the next owner with some serious Stag action – now you’re talking.

We think this fine example of the breed will sell for between £7k-£10k, which factoring in a good quality paint job is, even at the top end, a very good price for a car that appears never to have experienced a welder’s torch. As always, the reserve is much lower.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located here at The Market’s Abingdon HQ; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.