The Triumph Stag has recently been the topic of some lively debate on these pages. In case you missed it, our own Tony Wawryk wrote an article in 2020 in which he managed to upset a vocal member of the Stag club by mentioning in passing the model’s reputation for unreliability. The matter was thought to be settled by an exchange of comments at the time, but the row unexpectedly reignited a few weeks ago. Feelings run deep in the Stag world.
Here at ViaRETRO we’re less invested in whether the Stag is one the finest motor cars ever built, or just hopeless old rammel vomited out of a failing factory by a disinterested workforce five decades ago. Tony’s article gave a generally positive summary of the car, but a game of word association would often link “Stag” to uncomplimentary assessments of mechanical dependability, and there’s no getting away from that. Whether the reputation is deserved or not, it seemed high time to experience the Stag close up and personal. As luck would have it, the Great British Car Journey have recently added one to their driving fleet, so buckle up for the latest in our series of Great Drives.
When I chose to call this series of articles “Great Drives”, I knew full well that sometimes the title could be seen as a misnomer. It’s not always about how desirable the car may be, as that’s subjective anyway. This series is really about nostalgia, and we fully subscribe to the ViaRETRO maxim of “any classic is better than no classic”. However, anticipation is high for this one, as I’m handed the keys to a low and sleek, bright yellow classic cabriolet. The brightwork glints in the sun and the deep burble of its idling engine lays a baseline for the birdsong. Anyone with a trace of petrol in their veins couldn’t deny a small stirring in the soul.
The Stag’s reputation for poor quality casts a long shadow but survival rates are surprisingly high. From the 26,000 built, around 9,000 of them are still registered in the UK, which wouldn’t be the case if they were all that bad. Up until this drive I’d never even sat in a Stag and as much as I want to like the purposeful visage in front of me, I am a bit wary that it comes from a troubled period in British car production. I’ve been lucky (if that’s the right word) to drive a number of British Leyland cars and they’ve normally felt better than lazy received wisdom would suggest. I suppose that tends to happen if you start with low expectations but I really want to Stag to be considerably better than that.
My reasoning for willing the Stag to succeed mostly stems from how it looks. Giovanni Michelotti was well into the groove of drawing pretty Triumphs by the time the Stag was first mooted. His design house was responsible for styling all of the company’s new products since the late 1950s but the Stag is one of his very best. The design brief was to create a four-seater grand tourer to attract those who couldn’t afford the more expensive W113 Mercedes SL “Pagoda”. Unlike Mercedes, Triumph steered away from a full convertible body in favour of a fixed roll hoop and T-bar. The reasons for this were partially to improve structural rigidity but also to meet proposed rollover regulations for the American market, expected to be implemented following the furore caused by Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe At Any Speed. Mercedes pressed ahead with a full convertible for the R107 (launched in 1971) and the rollover regs were never implemented, but I doubt that was of any consequence for the buyers of the cheaper Stag. Although restricted by the need for the T-bar, Michelotti created an elegant shape using clean and simple curves with minimal brightwork. The body was almost unremarkable in the mid-section but was bookended by a sharp nose and tail that set that family look for Triumph in the 1970s. Those quad headlamps peeping out from the shallow grille give the car its visual character. It’s got a proper face.
Time for the moment of truth… is it any good? The cabin is a nice place to sit and consider the failings of the British motor industry. It’s roomy with plenty of adjustment in the seat back and forth, even if it is set a fraction too high for my preference. Visibility with the roof down is of course excellent, aided by the seating position. The T-top may have been driven by regulations that never came but it delivers a feeling of solidity and security that few contemporary rivals had. The Stag feels a sizeable car and the view through the windscreen is framed at the bottom by the long, wide and flat bonnet. If I was Michelotti I would have given it a power bulge, but who am I to question the great man.
Turning the key in this example could lead to spitting of feathers about unreliable Stags, until you remember it has a modern immobiliser fitted. Immobiliser de-activated, it fires immediately into a rumbly idle. The original intention had been to use Triumph’s proven 2,500cc straight six but the car really required more torque and power. The sensible move would have been to adopt the Buick V8 that was already used by Rover, but that idea was quashed because of BL internal politics. Instead, the Triumph team turned to a 2.5 litre fuel injected V8 engine they had in development. The capacity was enlarged to three litres by expanding the bore and the troublesome fuel injection was replaced with twin Zenith-Stromberg carbs. Mating an iron block to alloy heads, the design in theory allowed the cylinder heads to be lifted off without removing the camshafts and disturbing the valve gear, but in reality it could not be achieved. That’s a shame given the engine problems that came to stalk the Stag in later years. But let’s not dwell on that.
Slipping the automatic gear selector into D, the Stag is eager to get going. Pootling around the grounds at the Great British Car Journey there are plenty of long buildings for the exhaust note to resonate off. This thing sounds fantastic, a rich and sonorous noise that echoes around the car and right back into the cabin. Squeezing the throttle pedal and the note hardens, which urges you to squeeze a bit more. This is addictive stuff. The auto box works well and kickdown brings a change in pitch of the surround-sound tune. The Stag is happy to cruise along but the temptation to let it sing to full voice is hard to resist.
The soundtrack is magnificent but that would only be temporary consolation if the rest of the experience was below par. The vast majority of the bad press the Stag receives is breakdown related. It occurred to me that few seem to criticise the way it drives, though I suppose relatively few people have had the opportunity. The good news is that there are no real horrors to relay, and my time with the Stag was purely pleasurable. The car is a product of its time but everything works as it should, with this one being a very presentable example. The power steering is well suited for the application being light but positive and retaining enough feel for normal driving. The brakes are okay by 1970s standards and the car rides well, staying composed over the bumps. If you must be picky you could suggest that BL switchgear wasn’t really up to the standards required to compete with a Mercedes SL, but that whole comparison strikes me as a red herring anyway. There is however a notable absence of shake, rattle or roll which promotes confidence in the Stag’s abilities. It would doubtless make a great long-distance cruiser for as long as you can afford to keep pouring fuel (and possibly coolant) in it.
We’re nothing if not fair minded here at ViaRETRO, and many of team admit to being admirers of the Triumph Stag. The reliability argument has been done to death (or so we thought) but it must be a practical consideration if thinking of buying one. Assuming any potential purchaser avoids the many potential pitfalls, a good Stag remains an attractive proposition. I doubt many people accidentally end up with a Stag; it’s much more likely to be a considered purchase with eyes fully open. On the basis of our test car at least, it would appear to be worth the risk.
If you want to experience a well-preserved Stag for yourself, you can drive the very car featured here by visiting the Great British Car Journey at Ambergate, Derbyshire. Opened in summer 2021, the museum has rapidly become a must-visit destination for lovers of old British cars and offers an interactive journey through 100 years of triumph and disaster. The “Drive Dad’s Car” experience lets visitors test a wide range of makes and models dating from the 1930s to the 1990s. Although you can decide on the day, the best way to secure your chosen drive is to book in advance. Go to https://www.greatbritishcarjourney.com to plan your visit.
