Rare Animal: ’73 Triumph Stag

Giovanni Michelotti took over as Triumph’s chief stylist and he really mixed things up. Most of the work of Michelotti was an immediate success. And then there was the Stag. The Stag was designed years ago by Les Moore. Giovanni revised the idea and the result was undeniably a handsome, a 4-seater with both hard top and soft top. To help stiffen the body, a T-bar stayed in place when the tops were removed. Approximately 25,000 Stag were made and around 7,500 were exported. Americans gave it a try but the Stag let them down by overheating. The majority of the cars in America were automatics and that wasn’t a good thing either.  Many quality issues were sorted out, but the Stag’s bed was made and Triumph had to sleep in it. The Stag was powered by a 2,997-cc, 145-hp V-8 that was based on two SOHC Triumph-built Saab 99 engines back to back, with aluminum cylinder heads. The Stag was available with automatic transmission or four-speed and overdrive. Steering was rack and pinion, there was independent suspension all round, with McPherson strut up front and coil springs in the rear with trailing arms. The Triumph Stag is a great concept with a terrific look, but finding an untouched original example can be a task. But we found a nice one on eBay and it is the first one we thought might actually be Mintworthy. First and most important is that this one is a 4-speed with A/C. So the problems associated with the automatic is moot here. It has the removable hard top and a relatively new interior. The engine was rebuilt 8,000 miles ago. We just like the way this one looks with wire wheels and black hard top. Have someone check it out like our friends at www.jewelorjaolpy.com. If it checks out, bid on it or Buy It Now for $13,500. Hagerty has a driver at $18,000 and a perfect car at $30,000. Click here for the auction.