1973 Triumph Stag

First registered on the 19th of March 1973 and in the care of the seller for the past three years, this rare manual Triumph Stag is MOT'd until March 2021. Well-fettled, the MOT certificate was issued with just two very minor advisories and the car is still showing only 103,000 miles, with just 8,000 of those being added in the past quarter of a century.

The owner, who bought the car from a friend of his after having admired it for some time, is scrupulous in keeping it garaged and never drives it in the wet, something the condition of the car’s bodywork and underside pays mute tribute to.

Recommissioned in 2014-15 immediately prior to his friend buying the car, the Stag is only being sold as its owner is too busy working in the summer to use it and then away for the whole of the winter; all-in-all, he thinks he’s driven it for fewer than a thousand miles since buying it, hence the reluctant sale of a much-loved friend.

The subject of a bare-metal respray in 1988, the Ermine White paintwork is described as still being ‘very good’. We concur, and can see good panel alignment, ripple-free flanks, and tight and even shutlines.

The paint itself has been applied well, and even minor details like the twin-pinstripes are present and very nicely applied. The light lenses, glass, badges, and chrome sill covers are all good, too.

The rest of the chromework is also good with only ‘minor pitting on the bumpers’. Some of this pitting should buff out with something like Autosol, although we do note that some will inevitably remain. The rear bumper also lists a little to the nearside, but straightening that should be a simple enough job.

The original equipment alloy wheels are good and free of damage and scuffs, and show only very minor marks on a couple of the outer rims. They’re shod with Kwik-Fit tyres on the front axle, and Jupiter tyres on the rear; far be it for us to out ourselves as tyre snobs but we can’t help but think that a couple of hundred pounds spent on matching, top-quality tyres would be money well-spent.

The black soft-top is in very good shape, being free or rips, tears and other damage. It looks fairly new, as evidenced by the plastic windows, which are still clear and free of the sort of milky look that older windows develop. The roof furls and unfurls easily, and is taut when it is fixed in the upright position.

A hard-top is provided, but this is a different colour to the rest of the bodywork and ‘needs work’ according to the owner. It is also stored approximately 25 miles from his home, something the winning bidder will need to take account of.

The owner tells us that the car is solid underneath and well protected by underseal.

Problems are few. We aren’t enamored of the trickle charging lead that is draped over the front bumper, but sorting that out would be the work of a moment and a couple of cable ties. Other than that (and the bumpers we mentioned earlier) we think it’s all good.

Speaking of which, the tan vinyl interior is very good indeed. Obviously retrimmed at some point in the car’s recent past, whoever commissioned it went to the trouble (and expense) of ensuring that the correct vinyl fabric was used.

Obviously a top-notch job from start to finish, the front seats are firm, undamaged and barely patinated, while the rears are still almost like new. Taken as a whole, this Stag is proof positive that a brown synthetic interior can look utterly terrific.

You doubt us? Well, just take a look at the centre console. Or the gaiters for the gearlever and handbrake. Or the Caliber retro-modern 4x75W headunit, which plays through aftermarket Vibe speakers. Or the top of the dashboard, which is free of cracks and damage from the sun. Or the three-spoke wooden steering wheel, which is nigh-on perfect, and gives a great view of the gently curved dashboard with its six gauges and twin air-vents.

The wooden veneer is good too, and the beige carpets are in a fine condition – and lifting them shows solid metalwork that has been painted well and is in need of nothing.

Both front armrests have small splits in them, but that that seems to be the extent of the interior woes is quite the compliment, isn’t it?

The engine was rebuilt, including an unleaded conversion to the cylinder head, in 1989. The Stag was then recommissioned in 2014-15, with various ball joints, steering components, and miscellaneous bits and bobs being fitted.

The rare manual-plus-overdrive four-speed gearbox was rebuilt in the eighties, and still operates very well, including the overdrive which has had a recent electrical fault repaired.

The owner was proud to be able to report that the Stag always fires straight up even after six months of inactivity, an impressive feat that is partly due to it having been kept garaged.

As you can see in the video, the engine starts promptly and ticks over evenly with good oil pressure, even at idle. It revs nicely and (*turn the sound up*) has a beautiful throaty roar to the exhaust note.

The seller tells us that it ‘drives beautifully’ and ‘starts, stops, and goes as it should’. He has recently replaced both driveshafts and fitted a reconditioned differential after hearing a slight whine from the rear end. He now reports that the whine has gone.

The engine bay is decent enough, but given how good the rest of the Stag is we can see that the new owner will almost certainly want to invest a couple of weekends to bring it up to the same high standard as the rest of the car.

The Stag’s MOT certificate expires in March 2021, and it was gained with only two minor advisory points: ‘slight play in off side front bottom ball joint’ along with a washer bottle that dribbles rather than spurts.

The car comes with every expired MOT certificate from 1995 to this year’s, plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the past few decades along with photographs of its bodywork restoration and respray in 1988.

There is also a very nicely detailed letter confirming the bodywork and mechanical work that was carried out on it in the eighties; such a touch might not add value in itself, but it does add to this car’s overall charm and excellent provenance.

It also comes with the original owner’s handbook and storage wallet, a Haynes workshop manual, and a genuine Repair Operation Manual.

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 maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give the vendor a call and ask him if he can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like him to concentrate on.

NB. The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that the chassis number on the recommissioning plate ends in a ‘Q’, while that shown on the V5 registration document ends in a ‘D’. The plate was renewed as part of the car’s commissioning, and it looks like it was stamped with the wrong letter. The vendor has reported this to the DVLA, who is looking into it. 

The Triumph Stag has well and truly emerged as an icon in the past few years, with enthusiasts and casual observers alike taking it to their hearts. Undoubtedly ever-so-slightly flawed compared to the Mercedes-Benz SL, its idiosyncrasies merely serve to reinforce our view that a classic car is immeasurably improved if it has a hefty dollop of character.

And the Stag’s image and character means that it has done very well over the past few years, showing a healthy appreciation since we started tracking them in 2014. Yes, it’s true that their price has softened lately but that drop has been less than 2% in the past 12 months, a performance many of its rivals would kill to have achieved…

As to a cold, hard cash value, with the prices of the best cars having reached £20,000 or more, we think that this one will sell for somewhere between £10,000 and £15,000.

This is, as we’re sure you’ll agree, an absolute bargain and makes this one well worth watching; after all, the summer is almost upon us and few cars look or sound better than a Stag with the roof down as it burbles its way along a country lane.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Woolpit, Suffolk; 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, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

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.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.