1973 Triumph STAG

First registered on the 1st of July 1973, this wonderful Triumph Stag has been fitted many years ago with a Ford RS3100 V6 Stage 2 engine in place of the original V8, a common period conversion that abolished the sometimes fragile factory engine at a stroke.

Showing just three previous keepers, it is finished in British Racing Green with a black roof and tan leatherette interior. Running well and MOT’d, the vendor is a serial classic car buyer who just can’t seem to stop buying vehicles he has no need for. A familiar problem, the need to sell a car he has only owned for six months should be seen as a reflection on him rather than the car as the previous owner had it in his care for a decade.

Offered with a sensible reserve, this well-fettled Stag would ideally find a home with an enthusiast for whom reliability and performance are more important than originality.

The British Racing Green coachwork has been applied well and looks terrific. Of course, great panels, good shutlines, and above-average chromework all help, but the underlying paintwork is very good of and by itself.

Twin gold pinstripes add an elegant touch, as do the ripple-free flanks. The overall impression is of a car that has been well looked after, albeit one whose rear end sits a little high (or whose front sits a little low, we haven’t been able to decide which).

The folding black fabric roof, which is free of rips, tears and other damage other than a couple of tiny holes on the offside of the rear screen, is very good. It furls and unfurls easily too, and fits very well.

The stock 14-inch five-spoke alloy wheels are in great shape being free of damage and scuffs. They’re fitted with matching Michelin Energy 195/70R14 tyres too, all of which have a good depth of tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Work to do? Well, there are a few rust bubbles but that’s only to be expected on a car of this age. But they look to be eminently catchable and solid green should be an easy colour to match, making localized repairs viable.

The tan leatherette interior is original and very of-the-period and all the more glorious for being so. That the three-spoke steering wheel, which is no more than moderately patinated, is the weakest part speaks volumes for how nice the rest of it is.

The front seats, for example, are in a remarkably good condition being still plump and supportive and free of damage bar a small split to the base of the passenger’s seat. The rear seats are very good, looking almost new and in need of nothing.

The veneer trim is a little flat but it is complete and appears to be almost completely free of any damage, so taking it off and revarnishing it would be a treat rather than a chore.

The dials and switchgear are all present and correct, even if the chrome bezels are a little pitted.

Some of the minor bits of carpet in the boot are a little scruffy but the rest is in good shape and the spare wheel sports a new tyre. More importantly, it all seems to be solid, which should set your mind at rest.

The Stag was fitted with a 3.1-litre Ford RS V6 engine and Stage 2 head by Specialized Engines of Essex in 1980 from whom there is much correspondence at the time. The car’s owner clearly did his research as there is a letter in the Stag’s history file from a Gilbern owner who had used the firm and wrote to the owners’ club singing their praises.

The final bill came to £1,352, or around £6,000 in today’s money, which is impressive enough but when you factor in that the cost of a new Stag was only around £2,700, the true scale of the investment becomes apparent.

The owner was a fastidious man as he not only paid extra for a cross-drilled crankshaft to address the engine’s only real weakness but there is also correspondence on file regarding some issues he had following the engine’s installation.

There is a spec sheet for the new engine in the car’s history file giving details of the specification for its key components, along with servicing guidance. Suffice it to say that it was billed as being a handbuilt, tuned engine that delivered more power than the factory V8.

A new power steering rack was fitted in April 2017, and it received new brake pads all round a few months earlier.

It drives well, pulling as it should. It changes gear nicely too, and the vendor tells us that the clutch is good. Plus, of course, that MOT certificate, which is valid until June 2021, was gained without a single advisory point, something it’s been doing for the past three years.

The engine bay is tidy rather than beautifully detailed and wears a different, slightly lighter, green paint. Some of the paint is missing here and there too because the current owner likes to steam clean the accumulated crud off to see just what is underneath. Good news here as you to can see it appears mostly sound. A bit of protective paint would now be sensible, but there’s no hiding here, so swings and roundabouts, eh?

The underside looks to be largely solid but you can see that there is some light crustiness to the passenger’s side floorpan when you lift the carpet.

There is a gap in the online MOT history between 2008 and 2017; this is, we think, due to it being in storage and off the road. As for the recorded mileage, we’ve found nothing to either contradict it or support it; if we were to take a wild guess then we’d plump for this being genuine - but that is nothing more than a guess.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years. It also has the driver’s handbook, the stamped service history, a hand-written vehicle diary plus the original storage wallet.

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 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.

With a guide price of between £8,500 and £11,000, this re-engined Triumph Stag would make a fine daily driver for the enthusiast who cares more about his car’s performance and usability than what engine is under the bonnet.

Running well and looking good, it’s probably a fairly safe place to store your money, too; with interest rates at an all-time low (and even negative rates being talked about…) now might be the time to treat yourself to the sporting British convertible you’ve been thinking about for years.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.