1973 Triumph Stag
The Triumph Stag is a rare beast on the classic car scene - a four seater convertible. Triumph built the Stag as a short chassis, convertible version of their Triumph 2000 saloon car, but installed their newly designed 2,997 cc V8 engine. This engine was based on the engine from the Triumph Dolomite with two engine blocks wrapped around the central crank shaft.
The Triumph Stag has recently been brought to the attention of a wider audience due to its regular appearance on TV. Dennis Waterman plays Gerry Standing in the TV series "New Tricks", a programme about a group of retired policeman working in a cold case squad. Being retired and having excellent taste, he drives a beautiful green Triumph Stag. Fortunately Dennis Waterman has left his "Sweeney" and "Minder" days behind him and the car tends not to get involved in car chases, and hopefully will survive the series unscathed.
Early Triumph Stags had problems with their engines overheating and the cylinder heads warping. These problems were resolved by re-designing some of the cooling channels, installing a more efficient radiator and using better anti-freeze. Even though Triumph fixed the engine problems, they had harmed the reputation so much that it killed off the car leading to it acquiring the nickname 'Triumph Snag'.
The Triumph Stag is more of a Grand Tourer than an out and out sports car, its 145 BHP engine taking it to a maximum speed of 118 mph at around 22 mpg. The majority of the Stags (about 75%) were fitted with automatic gearboxes, but ours is one of the more desirable cars fitted with a manual gearbox with overdrive. The car has had only two owners and covered very little mileage during its previous ten years during which time it was extremely well looked after. As the Stag was the luxury end of the Triumph car range this is the only car on our classic fleet that has electric windows and power assisted steering. Finished in white with tan trim, the Stag is ideal for touring for four adults, or to fill with a bride and her bridesmaids! There is even enough room in the front of car to accommodate a bride wearing a full size bridal gown.
As with all of our cars we have a policy of continuous improvement, and In 2003 we replaced the hood, with one in black mohair with a beige interior. This not only improves the weather proofing but lightens up the interior of the car when the hood is raised. Following a leak in one of the head gaskets we had both cylinder heads replaced in 2002, and the car now runs on unleaded petrol.
These cars were never rust proofed when new, so inevitably suffer from rust to some extent. Although our car was in good condition when we bought it, over the past six years or so, a few rust bubbles have appeared. So in January 2007 we had new door skins fitted, some repair sections welded in to the wheel arches and a full respray.
So if you are thinking of buying one, not only can we advise on the mechanical side of the car, but we can now advise on what to look for in terms of body condition.
We also took the opportunity to fit proper seat belts in the rear seats. When the Stags were built they only had lap belts in the rear seats, we have fitted proper 3 point inertia seat belts. Not only are they now more comfortable and safer than before, but if you have a child seat that fits into an inertia seat belt, you can now bring the kids along as well. We have also kept one lap belt in the centre of the rear seat so that it is possible to have three passengers in the back, as long as they are all small.
For daily, weekend and weekly hire rates for our Triumph Stag, see the section on Hire Charges.
