1974 Triumph STAG

First registered on the 5th of July 1974, this Stag appears to be a good example of the breed with all the major mechanical systems in fine fettle. The owner is a keen enthusiast and talented home mechanic who has taken the opportunity to sensibly upgrade the car (look at that header tank!) to make it more drivable and better able to cope with 21st century roads and traffic.

The three-litre V8 engine is smoke-free, something you can check for yourself on the video. We are big fans of manual gearboxes for our sportscars but have to admit that in this case the automatic ‘box suits the car’s character and nature much better; she’s a big, lazy cruiser and there are few finer places to be than behind the thin-rimmed leather steering wheel with the wind ruffling your hair and the smell of unburned hydrocarbons mingling with the wonderful whoofle from the exhaust. (We’d suggest turning the volume right up when you play the two videos.)

The car comes with a box of spares that includes an outdoor car cover, a windscreen and quarter light seal.

Groovy, baby! We know that brown can be a polarizing colour but even its detractors have to admit that this example looks absolutely splendid in a very period, 1970s kind of way. (And even the colour’s greatest hater can’t fail to smile at the almost literal French-language number plate.)

The chromework is excellent, the hood has been recently reproofed and the doors seal well thanks to new rubbers, as does the tonneau cover. The older respray is holding up very well in a function-over-form kind of way, the new rear light lenses gleam and the car presents very well indeed.

Rust appears limited, and even that which you can see on the sills appears to be starting from the outside in, making repair a very simple job. The doors are starting to deteriorate at the bottom and there is evidence of bubbling on the some of the exposed edges of the bodywork, all is clearly visible in the photos below.

If you like the exterior then you are going to love the interior. The driver’s seat has been recently recovered and the door cards have also been refurbished along with the armrests.

The dashboard and gauges are in wonderful condition and provide a wonderful ambience to what is already one of the 70’s better interiors. The rears seats come with fitted seatbelts, making this Stag one of the most stylish ways to transport three of your closest friends (they’ll need to be close friends as the legroom in the back is a bit tight) around.

An example of the owner’s fanatical attention to detail is that he has gone to the trouble and expense of replacing the lock on the glovebox. When did you last buy an old car in which the glovebox lock actually worked?

Mechanically, the car appears to have wanted for nothing. There is a full summary on the advert which is worth scanning through.

We’ve always maintained that the very best person to buy a secondhand car from is an obsessive enthusiast who actually knows what he is doing. This car vindicates that view as the dozens of scanned receipts and invoices demonstrate.

The owner is a lovely chap; talented and charming and unlikely to scare the horses or the children, but if he has a fault it is his reluctance to commit his work to paper. We’ve summarised what’s been done but after spending hours sifting through notes and receipts that even this comprehensive list fails to reflect the time and money that has been committed to the car.

We would encourage anyone that is interested to come and view the car for themselves so they can appreciate just what a good example this is; we really do think that there is probably no cheaper way to get behind the wheel of such a wonderfully period British V8 sportscar. A V8-powered Bond car too, in case you forgot

The low reserve is an indication of the owner’s realisation that the car’s bodywork would benefit from an amount of tidying. Having said that, a quick scan of the car’s MOT history online – surely the second greatest boon to anyone looking to buy an old car – shows no concerns over the car’s structure: this is a solid and reliable car that is (ever-so-slightly) let down by its bodywork.

The owner’s energies over the four years that he’s had it have been concentrated on the car’s mechanics and trim, and a little work on making the car look as good on the outside as it does on the inside would add significantly to the car’s value.

There are some great videos and photos below that really do give a good sense of the current state of this Stag. Watch and if you have any questions then contact the owner using the buttons above or feel free to ask in the comments section on the right.

To view, the owner has left the car with us and it can be seen at our premises in South Oxfordshire on the 11th, 12th and 13th September by appointment. Contact us at market@getpatina.com to arrange.