Why did the Stag FAIL so Spectacularly?

The Triumph Stag has looks and sophisticated style. Those Italian lines of this easy Grand Tourer looked epic when it was released in 1970, and the lucrative North American market beckoned. With a throaty 3.0L V8 engine, it had the power to take on its 6-cylinder rival, the Mercedes SL. Yet in just seven years production ended and it was all over. So what happened? Why did this beautiful car falter and die?
An excellent companion video: • Triumph Stag & Stag Ow...
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[@BigCar2]

Errata: Timing chain, not belt. Pantera Rio should be Panther Rio. Thanks to everyone who pointed these out!

[@45green1]

Big Car I was going to say Panther Rio too, very interesting and well researched, I loved the Stag to look at, a mate of mine did a rebuild in the early 80´s

[@churchhouseclassics]

lovin your videos keep going mon brave 👍

[@pashakdescilly7517]

@@45green1 Panther Rio was a Dolomite with fancy alloy outer panels. Not sure of production number, but I have heard it was a one-off.

[@scootergeorge9576]

I heard "Pantera" and thought, that's the Ford V8 powered Italian exotic sold in the states through Lincoln/Mercury dealers in the early seventies.

[@45green1]

​@@pashakdescilly7517 My best friend's father was Robert Jankel, Panther creator, the family was using a Rio at the time, I got a few trips in that

[@decab8292]

It still looks absolutely stunning today. Triumph cars of this era had much better looks than other manufacturers at the time. In my personal opinion.

[@toni4729]

Unless you afford an e-type.

[@philhealey449]

@@toni4729 How can you compare a mere E Type to a Triumph Toledo in Russet Brown ! Seriously though, a Triumph 2.5 PI or TR6 hard at work sound as good as a Spitfire and I don't mean the car! Looks are another matter.....

[@toni4729]

@@philhealey449 Well Phil when it comes to that the world is definately on my side. The e-type is considered the worlds most beautiful car ever built and they cost millions if you want to buy one in good nick today.. and I mean millions. I will admit though I wouldn't want to pay the petrol prices for the V12. That was going too far.

[@philhealey449]

@@toni4729 Strange how tastes evolve; I was looking at current BMW 320 estate today; it was so ugly I thought initially it was a rebadged Mazda, how fabulously stylish the 1980s BMW 3 Series saloons and 'tourer' seem today. Efforts to replicate the elegance of E type, S type and early XJ's in later Jags all seem to have been doomed and they seem like blobs of jelly. I had a Rover SD1 in period and although that looked good then and now, it was mechanically rubbish. I think my 1978 Range Rover eclipses all later efforts by Land Rover and it's the overall shape , the waviness of its aluminium panels and the wraparound bonnet that floats my boat. I nearly bought a scruffy AM Lagonda Wedge in about 2001 that was then an acquired taste and very affordable; today I wish I had done! I did however acquire a W100 Mercedes instead and although it's permanently under renovation with some nightmare hydraulics, pneumatics and brake costs, its always appreciating. Cars to buy now are proper Bentleys - Turbo R, 1990s Continental and Arnage. Strange, in period I lusted after a TR6 and have a project car, but never warmed to MGBs, Austin Healeys or Jags. I take it you have an E-type, hope it's not an auto! I love the XJ coupe in Harry's Garage, fabulous soundtrack and a very fit car driven hard and benefiting from some suspension work. Happy Motoring !

[@toni4729]

@@philhealey449 I have a little old BMW 2003. I don't like the new ones they look too cheap and easily damaged to me. My car still feels solil althogh it's been around and it's only a little thing a 318 hatchback. I love it. I couldn't afford anything bigger anyway and as for a Merc well that's out of the question. I like them but by the time I get to buy one I'll be too old to drive.

[@user-s1o3nr532]

Triumphs of this era looked fantastic - the way management bungled the brand was criminal.

[@robandys6109]

As was the awful build quality by the “unionised” workforce who didn’t want to work

[@nkt1]

@@robandys6109 Who are you quoting?

[@scootergeorge9576]

@@nkt1 - Some people use quotation marks for emphasis; kind of like italics.

[@nkt1]

@@scootergeorge9576 Indeed. I wish they wouldn't.

[@tubbytown6545]

@@robandys6109 A fundamental of mass production is that there is only one way of doing a process. The right way. You obv have no knowledge of production processes or labour organisation.

[@laurelgreentriumph]

First saw a Stag in my school playground in the early 70s, it looked great just sitting there, but when someone jumped into the passenger seat I saw there were lights inside the doors - seemed more like a spaceship than a car. Then it took off, the noise was just glorious. One of the best looking and best sounding cars built. Ever.

[@PaulGunnMusic]

I bought a 1977 Stag this year after having hesitated for years researching the pitfalls. With proper maintenance it runs beautifully, is reliable, starts first time, doesn't over heat, sounds and looks great!

[@DaveCorbey]

You sure it was a Stag?

[@PaulGunnMusic]

@@DaveCorbey oh no sorry! It was a Suzuki.😄

[@PaulGunnMusic]

@Bif Stiff Update: It was okay until the jack shaft joint sheared off, the water pump failed and the engine melted. Apart from that it was really reliable.

[@harry130747]

I had a Stag for three years. Wonderful, no problems at all. Best handling car I ever had. Bit heavy on the petrol. I wish I still had it!

[@peterduxbury927]

@@PaulGunnMusic Stag has always been a great-looking car. But in 2022, with all of its' known engine issues, it would be a great candidate for conversion to EV. At least the Stag could have a second life.

[@andyglewv8]

I had a stag for 12 years, really loved it. Once I'd rebuild the engine properly ( unlike British Layland haha) It worked absolutely lovely and sounded nice. Never let me down since, also they had timing chains not belts.

[@syhooverman5418]

Of all the cars ive owned over the last 40 odd years the only ones that have let me down have had timing belts. Pathetic. To expect an (albeit strengthened) rubber belt to do all that work under hot and oily conditions is just UTTER folly.

[@flemingpandel5287]

​@@syhooverman5418 Timing belts work perfectly fine if you replace them in regular intervals. They are just like engine oil, tires or brake pads. Wear items that need to be replaced ever so often to ensure reliable operation. Besides, car manufacturers these days can easily build a timing chain that explodes after 100.000 miles.

[@deaddoll1361]

@@flemingpandel5287 Providing the manufacturer gets the service intervals correct from the outset. Many Opel engines used in Australian badge engineered Holdens had belt failures well before the stated replacement interval, forcing a reduction to the replacement limit, which still wasn't sufficient to prevent further failures. When you consider the ramifications on an engine where the valves hit the pistons when a belt breaks, and the thousands of dollars in repairs as a result, that flimsy, thin belt doesn't seem very smart. This doesn't even address other issues with those belts like idler pulley failures, which used to occur because the outer belt guide was made of plastic, which tended to break. Even a water pump seizure or belt tensioner problem can cause the belt to come off, with the same expensive bent valve problems. It's no wonder the belt era is pretty much over now.

[@hermanmunster3358]

I had a Slag for 8 years, and could not get rid of her for love nor money. She was also a thirsty beast, and constantly drained my wallet. I eventually got rid of her at a classic car show, many miles from home, just drove off and left her there. Then replaced her with a newer, less thirsty, cheeky little minx, who does a much better job of keeping the bed warm for when I get home from work.

[@hermanmunster3358]

@@syhooverman5418 Depends on the car. Intervals on my Saab 9-3 were 90k miles. 30k on an Alfa Romeo 145, of which, I owned 2, and 90k on my current Volvo V50. So it really does depend on the car you choose.

[@Chris.Davies]

Your description of the engine's multiple design and production problems are brilliant. Stags developed the worst reputation possible here in New Zealand, where most people installed the Rover 3.5 after spending half the value of the car in pointless repairs to the bad engine.

[@gordonnorris6991]

Triumph Stags are a very rare sight here on the road (NZ) nowadays; I suspect that there are quite a few though sitting in owners garages, gently fading away because their owners don't have the $$ or the will to fix them. A great shame as the Stag is a great looking car. A real head turner.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

@@gordonnorris6991 Agreed there was one near me up until a few years ago

[@perryholmes8652]

Thanks for the video. My family has owned two Stags. One (my dad's) was all original, the other (my car) had a rebuilt high performance 2.8 liter V-6 German Ford Capri motor. With the engine swap, I could do over 60 mph in first gear. Dusted quite a few 911s in the eighties.

[@chris425amp7]

Nice

[@stevefuller1779]

Yeah but you lost of the most important parts of the car, the sound!

[@paulbains9152]

I ran a 2 8 Ford V-6 in a B sports racing Lola . I dynoed it at 330 hp . It was dry-sumped , and had a custom cast cross-ram intake Manifold with 2 Porsche RS 3 barrel Webers . Dual point distributor . Max RPM 8500 . The week link was the small necks on the rods . The compression was so high , I had to run 2/3 premium + 1/3 100/130 av-gas . I could only get over 200 mph drafting an A car .

[@dongordon4464]

Yes - the German V6 was very good, the version that Ford put in the Mustangs was a piece of s--- from the carburetor down.

[@colinlambert791]

You should be shot for bastardising your Stag. You should have spent your money on sorting out the original engine. Shame on you!

[@ahoneyman]

When you have access to a GM V8 use it. It's their bread and butter and they do it well.

[@paulmaryon9088]

think that V8 was a Buick design

[@simonoldroyd5037]

@@paulmaryon9088 Buick owned by GM

[@zf9903]

@@simonoldroyd5037 Buick had a habit of designing a few of their own engines in-house during this era

[@scootergeorge9576]

Buick's first V8, known as the "Nailhead" was designed in house.

[@sadiqmohamed681]

It may have been a Buick design, but IIRC, they didn't want it because it was aluminium. The Rover version had was manufactured in the UK and had Rover designed head and peripherals. I don't think GM ever used it. I had always wanted a Stag, and in the 90s I looked at a couple which had been rebuilt with new electrics and Rover V8s. They were just out of my reach at the time. Leyland screwed Triumph completely. In the mid-70s I had a MK2 2.5PI. A beautiful car, like a big Stag. The engine was fine apart from the Lucas mechanical fuel injection which was so unreliable that I used to carry two or three spare injectors around! Triumph had wanted to replace it with Bosch electronic injection, but Leyland wouldn't let them have the money to do the mods needed. All very sad. Both the 2.5 and the Stage would have done well in the US with better build quality and the Rover V8.

[@thejudgehasjudged]

I had a Stag in the early 80's but with a Rover V8. I loved it, many fond memories. I sold it due to gearbox issues that no one would touch due to it being a hybrid. I'd have another in a heartbeat.

[@colinlambert791]

Buick in a STAG AAAAAARGH! YUK.

[@1969triumph]

I worked for a Triumph restoration company in late 80s. The Stag owners were Always told to bin the Triumph V8 & replace it with the Rover unit. Making it the car it should have always been. Also the half v8 engine, with the iron block & alloy head would weld together, making head removal near impossible.

[@colinlambert791]

Lazy bastards should be shot, they should have taken pride in the Stag and sorted out the Triumph engine, instead of taking the easy option.

[@tonyb9735]

I had a stag for a few years. I loved that car but in the time I owned it, it cost me more pounds than it travelled in miles. Bloody thing.

[@johnwhitham7127]

Working for a sub-contractor from the early 70's through to the BA takeover, I was mainly involved with Redditch Marketing, but also met with engineers from Canley, Solihull and Longbridge. The consensus among those I met was the engine was ruined by the cost cutting team assembled by Stokes. The biggest problem being the duplex timing chain originally specified being reduced to a single one, but also the cheap coolant that caused the heads to weld to the crankcase. The engine survived as long as it did because of contracts signed with Saab before design work even began. I seem to recall that same team removing one of the E-Type's windscreen wipers and fitting (Morris Marina?) window winder mechanisms that caused the doors to come open when completely down.

[@Eis_Bear]

Fun story: When Saab wanted a more powerful engine for their 99 lineup they went to Triumph (they were already using Triumph slant 4 engines, although they improved them) to see if they could use their V8 in the 99. Triumph agreed and Saab did some testing with this engine but determined it to be too unreliable, still looking for more power they decided to add a turbo to their existing engine, making Saab one of the earlier Turbo adopters.

[@paulukjames7799]

People blamed the unions in the 1970s but the management also made bad decisions.

[@tjroelsma]

Yes, rivalry between the heads of the different brands within British Leyland might have actually led to many union strikes, because of the mess management constantly made. And let's be fair: if management doesn't care, why would the unions and/or the workers?

[@Iskelderon]

They pretty much deserved each other.

[@johnwhitham7127]

The management was poor, but the whole conglomerate was put together for political rather than commercial reasons. It was probably unmanageable.

[@davidcolin6519]

@@johnwhitham7127 It was put together for political reasons, true. But the management of any organisation still needs to be able to recognise and deal with the advantages of scale that that political decision had created. Yet they never even began to do any of those basic things that management need to do. There wasn't even basic cost/benefit analysis! Nor was it even clear who on the board was making the decisions. If political interference was a factor (and it was), then wtf did NONE of the levels of management speak out against such meddling? Could it possibly be because even the management saw the whole BL thing as just another cash cow, letting them earn a respectable income with no responsibilities? In other words, precisely the malaise that THEY claimed of their own workers! the fact is that, by the time decent management was finally hired (rather than inherited) it was probably too late to do anything. Of course the workforce was inefficient, strike-prone and produced poor quality product. But anybody who works in management knows that decent management is capable of motivating workers, creating change and rationalising basic production to reduce costs AND improve reliability. That never happened. Nobody even TRIED to make it happen, and British management never learned even the most basic lessons of vehicle production. And so BL was scuppered, and even those decent products were eventually hived off, not because the WORKERS couldn't work, but because, even with BMW's coffers open, the management, even at such a late stage, couldn't do their bloody jobs.

[@AnthonyHandcock]

The older I've got the more I've come to realise that management is an industry of its own and its principle aim is to ensure the continuity, and preferably expansion, of the management industry. If that happens to be at the expense of everybody else, including their employer, then so be it. Speaking from my own experience and in sweeping generalisations... Most managers are superfluous and only exist to create a fiefdom for other managers. Most managers are incompetent and they try to appoint other managers that are at least as incompetent as they are because to do anything else would make their incompetence more obvious. I've seen that rare exception, a truly competent manager, be appointed to a lowly role (presumably by accident) and go up the hierarchy at speed sacking, and not replacing, virtually everybody under them. End result a manager and a deputy doing a far better job than then previous ten strong "management team". Clearly the other eight were doing nothing of any significance. I would add that I've made two excursions off the tools and into management and it didn't end well either time so I'm not claiming I could do a better job. I'm a terrible manager. On one occasion I was sacked for being too much on the side of "my girls" and not enough on the side of "the company" and on the other occasion I resigned out of boredom. I literally had nothing to do except "look busy" and looking busy 40 hours per week is too much like hard work.

[@stephenpointon]

I remember going to Coventry to meet Eamon Hurley of Hurley race engineering. He would put the ford 3.0 V6 in a stag . I asked him if he had a use for the left over V8s ? his answer cam back straight away "yes, filling up dustbins".

[@richardrichard5409]

That original Stag made a good anchor too

[@psk5746]

Ford 3 ltr cast iron v6 is a piece of poo engine. I believe it was originally designed to be a diesel.

[@davidhollenshead4892]

@@psk5746 WTF ??? The Ford V6 engine would last over 200K miles...

[@psk5746]

@@davidhollenshead4892 So what. 200k miles of boredom

[@NoosaHeads]

I bought a brand new Triumph Stag in 1973. It went through 7 (yes, 7) cylinder heads in the first year. I was doing pretty well at that time and graduated from the Stag to a Ferrari in 1974. Most of the girls I took in the Ferrari said they preferred the Stag..... It was, by far, the best bird pulling car I've ever owned. - However, the reliability was absurdly bad. Had the Stag used the Rover engine (lighter and much more powerful) and had a bit more quality control, it would have been an unbelievable winner. It wouldn't have needed much to make that car superb.

[@gordoncheyne5567]

My brother owned one. It spent more time in the shop than on the road. But when it did run, it was awesome!

[@melesmelesfaber3866]

A great summary of the 'Stag' and a million times better then Jeremy Clarkson's effort back in the 1990's!

[@lex1945]

The Staaaaaaaaaaaggg! LOL!

[@dougsteel7414]

Yes. Clarkson spends him time reviewing doing his crappy dated "jokes" about nationality and little else. Not exactly nuanced

[@matthewcb1970]

Clarkson's pieces are always more about him than any car.

[@scootergeorge9576]

Better as far as facts but Jeremy's was more enjoyable.

[@dougsteel7414]

@@scootergeorge9576 really? But that only leaves his cringe making boreish bar prop "humour". Let me guess, some razor like jibes at unionised Britai, lazy Frenchmen, women drivers and efficient germans

[@cmck472]

I had a gorgeous Stag for five years, it had been rebuilt by someone who knew what they were doing. 4 speed manual gearbox with overdrive, original V8, stainless steel exhausts. The only big job I did was to fit an electric fan. I used it as my everyday car for the time I had it, top down unless it was actually raining. It was gorgeous, sounded like a dream. Power windows, power steering. If going travelling (or biosecurity to France), one could even put the roof up and use the space the roof went into for extra storage! I sold it because I was moving house, most stupid thing I ever did with a car (if you discount converting a Jeep Cherokee to LPG). A while later I got an automatic Stag - totally different beast to drive, didn't keep it long.

[@natesteiner5460]

SAAB took engine production in-house in 72 and redesigned the cylinder head (B Series). Revised in 81 (H Series), and a 16-valve head in 85. Continued to evolve until the end of production in 2009.

[@daveallanccfc1]

Triumph built them at Canley in the mid/late 70s. I worked on the engine track.

[@jackcole3146]

Put a proper timing chain on it as well.

[@pilskadden]

Rumours have that Saab were unhappy with the quality of the British built engines and thus took over production themselves...

[@toadattoadhall]

One of the Triumph engines was blueprinted as part of a rebuild, they were expecting to increase to size of the radiator etc, but found that it worked perfectly as long as it was built to the spec. Unfortunately those coming off the line were anything but. Of those Stags that have survived most have had the engines built properly and are much sort after for the fine reliable car it should have always been.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

For the love of cars

[@stephenjones9246]

Nice video - thanks. As other have mentioned, the stag V8 and Dolomite 1850 4 used single cam chains and they were prone to jumping resulting in collisions between valves and pistons. Warped aluminium cylinder heads and cracked cooling parts also plagued these models.

[@jamesappleyard7459]

Stephen Jones My dad had 2 triumph dolomites in his early twenties. One was a 1500 and the other was a 1850HL. the common problem was overheating and cylinder head warpage which meant the cylinder heads needed to be removed. I think he had to take them off about 3 or 4 times while he owned them. They were constantly jumping out of gear as well😂🤣😂

[@Chris.Davies]

I distinctly remember being overtaken by a brand new Stag on a long gravel road, which was riddled with corrugations. We were in our awesome '72 Landcruiser at the time, going about 60 km/h. Dad's friend, Alan, went by at 100+. We had to stop at one point, to pick up the rear bumper, which had fallen off the car about 20 kilometres into the unpaved section. When we got to our destination, my Dad gleefully handed Alan his rear bumper. Later on, when we had a close look at the car, we could see the panels were not aligned correctly - which was perhaps also due to excessive speed on the corrugated road. Inside we found some of the trim beginning to come away from the backing, and some of the stitching was poor. One of the door handles didn't work quite right, either. I think the Stag was 4 months old at the time. My Dad encouraged me to buy only Japanese cars when I was old enough. That great advice could have saved me many tens of thousands of dollars maintaining a German supercar for a decade - but of course, it did not. :P

[@frazzleface753]

Stunning design. Absolutely beautiful. If I'd had the money or been around at the time, I would've bought one just to look at.

[@scootergeorge9576]

I would choose a Boss 302 Mustang, a Z-28 Camaro, or a Challenger RT, just to name three cars that looked great, while being much more reliable and much faster.

[@wildbillharding]

I did, and had plenty of time to look at it between engine breakdowns. Mine went through THREE engines in one year!

[@xzox]

Here in the UK in the seventies no one could afford them..you could pick up an E-Type for a few hundred quid. Stags were 2 grand plus new, two years wages for a lot of Brits. We had high interest rates and banks that would only lend money to those who already had it .Plus a bout of hyper inflation in the early seventies. People tend to forget these things when romantacising about what could or should have been ...oh..and... I nearly forgot..it was common knowledge that the V8 was crap.

[@peteruk8925]

Had mk2 in blue , beautiful to look at amazing engine noise, with no issues with the engine - just a swine to lock the roof in place ( pity not electric ) but of course adds weight and complexity!

[@FABexpat]

Keep up the good work! Hope they reinstate your original channel soon. Your videos bring me and many other people a lot of joy!

[@ianrutherford878]

NO please STOP.Find a better narrator.

[@sarjim4381]

I like the puppet! If only Triumph had listened to that little bird. I had a chance to drive a Stag in California in 1972. It was a convertible model, and that top was awful. There were no quarter windows. something my '66 MGB had. It let in a lot of wind noise and, although didn't get a chance to drive it in rain, I suspect it would have also leaked, just like the B. The folding top went into a special compartment behind the rear seats, losing precious luggage space. It was very hard to fold down, that one rear window was easily creased, and there were all sorts of fiddly bits to get it erected again. The lack of quarter windows made parking really hard, and felt like I was in a cave. I also thought it didn't help the looks of the car. This car had the automatic transmission and a/c, both apparently standard in US cars. Weirdly, a radio wasn't standard. Even my 1970 Toyota Corona that was my family car came with an AM push button radio. The auto trans reminded me of the Chevy two speed Powerglide, even though it was three speeds. The wasn't such a bad thing since the Triumph auto and Powerglide were both good, smooth transmissions. It was so smooth I never really felt that third gear. The a/c, well, it was British. I got to drive the car for a week in typical Southern California spring weather with daily highs of about 80. The a/c was barely able to keep the car cool at those relatively low highs compared ot our 100 degree summer and fall heat waves. I suspect part of it was that mostly uninsulated and leaky convertible top. It may have performed better with the hardtop. With the top down, it looked like a T top car like the Fiat X-19. I wonder if Triumph ever thought about that concept? The Stag seems like it would have been a natural. It didn't really handle better than the B since it had the same kind of solid rear axle. What made it worse was the featureless power steering, also standard. It made parking easy, but t was so soft there was almost no road feel. At least the B had enough road feel I could tell when the rear end was about to break loose.The Stag is not a car I'd like to slog around the same mountain roads I enjoyed in the B. The performance was, shall we say, less than sparkling. 0- 60 was a little under 11 seconds in my unscientific tests. This was at a time when a dead stock 302 c.i. V-8 in a 1969 Camaro could turn in a 10 second time. I didn't expect the Stag to be a drag racer, but I also would have been embarrassed to be in such a beautiful car and then have the doors sucked off by some kid in a Camaro or Firebird. All I knew when I saw the car was it has 3.1 liter V-8, and I just assumed to was some version of the Rover V-8, since it would have been available when Triumph and Rover merged under BL. We in the US had some faith in the Rover V-8 since its lineage was from the popular and reliable Buick V-8, and it was amenable to performance enhancements. I didn't find out until later it was actually a new Triumph V-8. As it turned out, I lucked into not buying one. The price was also quite steep. It was over $7,000 when a 1972 Corvette with a/c and a number of other options like the LT-1 350 c.i with 255 hp and a 7.7 second time was out the door for about $6,000. A thousand bucks in 1972 was real money, and I just couldn't justify the money with two young kids. So, my rating is it was a sexy car, every bit as attractive as a Ferrari GT, the interior was fantastic with all the leather and wood, but the price, workmanship, small issue like the convertible top and, as it turned out, the engine let the car down. Sadly, with a total production of only about 26,000 cars over seven years, the Stag was one of the nails in the BL coffin.

[@melincourt]

Rubbish.The Stag soft top folds easily away, much quicker than the powered top on my wife's SLK. And it doesn't leak.

[@sarjim4381]

@@melincourt I'm glad you got a top that folded easily. Apparently my experience and that of other contemporary reviews are simply rubbish. I'm sure your experience with the top is just one reason why the Stag was such a massive success.

[@sarjim4381]

@Sam Shlong "On early cars, buyers could choose to have the car fitted with just the soft-top, just the hard-top (with the hood stowage compartment empty), or with both. Later cars were supplied with both roofs." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Stag

[@dee106ful]

Did you know luck is not a verb.

[@alanwayte432]

I agree I had a Stag for three years, the engine had been modified and cooling system modified..good servicing by a specialist, totally reliable but must be driven not left standing for weeks, the hood was fine, did not leak..I wonder if you actually drove or owned the car...your points seem a little two copy and paste...maybe playing to well known stereotypes...🤔

[@glennpowell3444]

I know its engine was trouble but the car was stunning! I look with despair at the generic jelly moulds littering our roads nowadays? Cheers and loved the brummie dummy!

[@alundavies5171]

engine was not trouble if it was maintained properly!

[@xzox]

Hear Hear !

[@nickybritain4900]

I seem to remember that the rear end had a life of its own when cornering at speed.

[@paulthesquid3595]

Glen Powell Rose tinted memorys much better cars now no two ways about it.

[@johnburns4017]

@@alundavies5171 The engine *was* trouble. The fixes are well known. Mainly coolant related, and of course a quality timing chain needed.

[@jacklumbar7061]

Poor fettling on manufacture meant casting sand was left in the blocks as well and when crossion oxides are added to the problem not only radiators but whole sections of the block would fail to flow coolant properly. If you ever tried to flush an engine at the time you would see sand wash out of the drain points. Sad part is with a little development they were and still are a smooth running and rich sounding motor.

[@mightress]

Have one and i rebuilt the engine. I have electric waterpump installed wich does an excelent job. I use it quite alot and it does not let me down. Very smooth although little underpowered as said. I love the car.

[@stevefowler3398]

I had one in the mid 70s. Brilliant car. Had no engine problems EVER. I drove to Scotland from London, on a thimblefull of petrol. (Might have been a tad more). But I enjoyed that car very much. Still a head turner today.

[@onefastcyclist]

Another fine video! Perhaps the case could be made that the TR8 was the Stag's successor. With the Buick/Rover aluminum V8 it was far more reliable too.

[@T16MGJ]

Just like "Trigger's Broom" later versions of the little Buick V8 were a a very different engine.

[@ovr502010]

Always love them, particularly for the shape. So I bought a ‘77 that was in an acceptable shape but not great shape. Cost a fair bit to get it to how I wanted it, including a 3.5 Rover motor and a few other alterations, particularly a new cooling system. Absolutely loved the car and it was my daily drive for quite a few years. My wife hated it because every time she drove it, it always broke down. Sold it after a few years which I still deeply regret and wish I could now afford another.

[@fifthof1795]

My mum had one of these in the mid Seventies..in dark blue. Always seemed to be getting fixed. She loved to swank around in it.

[@andymckane7271]

Superb analysis why the Triumph V8 engine---and thus the Stag itself---failed. I heard at the time from BL in the U.S. about the "engine overheating problem." What I never heard was why the engines were overheating. After all these years, you just explained it so that I now understand the issue. Thank you very much! Andy McKane, Hawaii, USA.

[@garyhardman8369]

I knew that the Triumph V8 engine was unreliable, but did not know the details. I do know now, because of your clear and concise explanation. Thank you.

[@BigCar2]

Actually this is the only time I took the copy straight from the Wikipedia page, because it did a much better job of explaining it than I could (and you are allowed to use Wikipedia content in any way you like).

[@stevedickson5853]

..surely by now almost all Stags have been rectified of the engine problems of the past

[@theprior46]

So well researched and very well produced historical video. Kept my interest right to the end. Such a shame the Stag didn't work as superbly as the Triumph Vitesse 6. My dad had one and I drove it aged 17 on passing my test. 62mph in 2nd; 85 in 3rd and 115mph in 4th didn't need a fifth gear. Twin Stombergs were a doddle to tune. The 6 cylinder engine was fantastic.

[@davebarron5939]

Don't know how beautiful they are in person, as I have never seen one in US however, they look great in pics. It is sad that one of the best car ideas didn't really take off.

[@gnoccialpesto]

Years ago, I was working for a company next to a garage, one of the shareholders (en extremely wealthy Luxembourger, who had passed the aforesaid garage to his son) had a mint blue Stag. He pulled open the bonnet and pointed at a random rubber pipe. "See this? Orginaly it was a bolt. Had they put this extra cooling pipe when the cars were built, they would never have had a problem".

[@T16MGJ]

It was the cooling system which was a prime cause of the problems. Many owners sorted the cooling and then had a reliable nice old car.

[@Simon_W74]

Despite all its problems it's a car I'd love to have. It is to me the best looking car from Triumph.

[@HarryHunterx]

I had one for 7 years, but eventually gave up on the stressed engine and lack of power and went to an MG B GT V8, which is 300 kg llighter and its engine endlessly tuneable. :-) . But still like the looks of a STAG and what he initially stood for.

[@PetrolHeadBrasil]

I LOVE the Stag! And I had an opportunity to see one in Brazil!

[@DiscoFang]

"They needed a new engine like they needed a hole in the head"... I see what you did there.

[@ianmangham4570]

Doh!

[@johnh1001]

My old neighbours had a Triumph Stag . They thought it was a nice sport type car to have . Less than 1 year later they sold it claiming that it was too high maintenance . Just as this video was saying .

[@neilwalller8535]

I seem to remember an advert in Private Eye at the time said: We promise to make Stag owners very happy. We throw the engine away. (They were advertising a Ford replacement.)

[@machtschnell7452]

I remember a 3/4" gap between the body and the top. Build quality was scary.

[@joelonzello4189]

Drove one in the 90's in California. Rattle trap...

[@AJ-qn6gd]

3/4 of an inch is standard British Leyland build tolerances 🤨🇬🇧

[@neilwalsh4058]

One of the best looking cars ever made, especially in light colours. So reminiscent of so many British products, all the ideas, all the style but none of the quality control. I heard the main overheating problem was caused by the casting sand not being cleared properly from the heads water ways, causing poor coolant circulation?

[@mpetersen6]

I remember years back one of the car tags compared 3 Honda Accords. One from Japan, one from the US and on from the UK. The cars were basically equal across the board except the testers could tell the one from the UK because of the electrical system.

[@terrygoyan]

@@mpetersen6 Lucas, prince of darkness!

[@rogerlephoque3704]

You are so right. We were a "Triumph family" from 1953, with the following vehicles under our belt: 1953 TR2, 1956 TR3, Triumph Herald (early rare two-tone coupe), Vitesse M2 open-top (fab car), one of the first TR6s, Triumph Dolomite Sprint and a GT6 Mk lll, the one that "did it" for me, confirmation that Triumph was doomed as a carmaker. Bought new in 1973 or 74, it spent much of the next 9 months in and out of the main Triumph dealers with a long list of problems, three of which were never fixed notwithstanding an assurance that a factory engineer would come down from Coventry and sort out the errant problems once and for all. From Day 1, the GT6's overdrive malfunctioned, failing to engage without a lengthy pause when the switch on the gear knob was activated and/or engaging/disengaging without warning when I hadn't activated the switch! The interior of the car was a "hothouse", the Triumph people quite unable to find out the cause of this which went unmitigated when windows were down. At about 7 months and 10,000 miles on the clock, I thought it was time to put it through its paces after a careful, progressive running-in process. It was gutless, acceleration times seconds off those quoted in the motoring press. The car's top speed never went beyond 92 or 93 mph on the clock. One early morning, I was awoken by hotel reception (where I was staying), to be informed that my car was on fire. The local fire brigade came and put out the fire which was mostly confined to the interior cockpit! Triumph refused to repair it under guarantee, stating that I must claim on my insurance! I wrote to Lord Stokes (or was it Sir Michael Edwards), CEO of British Leyland but got a very off-hand reply from one of his assistants, refusing to repair the burnt-out interior under guarantee or consumer law. I sued the Triumph dealer, the process taking the best part of 6 months before the case was due to be heard in the County Court. The day before my lawyers and I were due to travel to the court, the other side caved in and settled my claim in full.

[@stevenbowyer8816]

-@@terrygoyan -lucas fridges always had warm beer.

[@flyingmedic]

The best car history program I have seen. Thank you.

[@MichaelOZimmermannJCDECS]

always thought, that those elite school educated "managers" in the UK industry were amateurs, not or never using the engineering abilities, not guiding their staff and having no vision of what was possible at the time.

[@rheinmoses]

A result of the British class society!

[@joedennehy386]

And you think the communist work force had no part? I bet you are a real professor

[@johnburns4017]

@@joedennehy386 Can you name these communists? Those communists in China seem to make good things.

[@zprime4844]

My dad has a 72 soft top navy stag. Drive chain broke one day, the shaft pulled it in and gutted the whole engine. Firing pins bent like wishbones, everything else understandably %&@$ed. I would love to see and hear it back on the road, but apparently too much of a cash pit to be worthwhile.

[@justsumguy2u]

It's like most British sports cars of the era---beautiful to look at and a joy to drive, but it will leave you walking at some point

[@UncleJoeMedia]

A bit like how the Landrover Discovery is a perfect vehicle for people who like bushwalking.

[@muppetrowlf1473]

What about the King of them all? The Jensen Interceptor. Stunning looks Stunning unreliability.

[@psk5746]

@@muppetrowlf1473 What? They are not unreliable at all. After all it is an American Chrysler engine. Dad had one for years. Only issue was fuel use ... lol

[@jwbmw6084]

Puts in mind of my Alfa Spider, very sexy, but I was always afraid to take it very far, even when it was a new car.

[@maestrovso]

That explains why all the Brits in the era are fit and slim, unlike nowadays. Unreliable cars' silver linings.

[@philipdevonald1273]

I bought a basket case Stag many years ago and fitter a Triumph 2500/6 cylinder in it, it worked fine and made me a profit.

[@robbiebob6267]

Personally... I think the Britts made some beautiful exotic cars that was ahead of it's time also innovative .. R. 🇦🇺

[@stumac869]

Unfortunately too many production problems, too many corners cut and hence reliability problems. It's a pity they didn't concentrate on fewer models but build them well.

[@theephemeralglade1935]

Yeah, in the 80's, lol.

[@soundsdigital]

@@stumac869 The biggest problem the British motor industry had were the trade unions. They spent more time on strike than they did making cars. It was a similar issue across all the nationalised industries, the unions were so powerful, the management were powerless and the staff could do pretty much as they liked. I've heard stories of one person going in on a Saturday morning and clocking 12 of his mates in for the day, then clocking them all out at the end of the shift, without any of them actually turning up. They thought this was a "perk of the job" and never considered the possibility that it was actually theft. I also know of someone who worked at Land Rover and stole so many spare parts he built his own car. It was a similar situation in the mines. I was talking to an old man who as part of a group look after an old winding house. Occasionally they open the doors to the public and I was talking to one of them. He was saying how many of the brass fittings had been stolen when the pit closed and was showing me one he had made to replace one of the stolen ones. Then he was telling me that they needed to fins someone to make one to go on the other side of the machine. I asked why he couldn't make another one for that side (which was identical) and he said he only worked on this side and the man that worked on the other side had died.That's exactly the attitude that got the mine closed in the first place.

[@wildman510]

Yeah no other car could break down as fast as a british car

[@robertwoodliff2536]

@@wildman510.......think you missed out on the joy of Italian electric systems.

[@tracylemme1375]

The first time I saw a photo of the Stag I was smitten. The car was just beautiful. I owned a Spitfire at the time. But being only 20 years old, there was no way that I could afford a Stag. I still want one.

[@paulillingworth1242]

Such a shame, so many missed opportunities for BL and it’s brands it took on.

[@adrianmonk4440]

Great job, Big Car !! I really liked the story of the Stag. The body styling, the delays, the rival division politics, and the gyrations on power plant choices were comprehensive & succinct. The Forensic details of the engine issues were eye openers and who would have thoughts !!!

[@davidhayes4814]

The saddest thing was that the Buick derived V8 was there, with rights bought. Lighter than most V6s this engine was made for the Stag. So much talent in BL. Why!.......

[@BigCar2]

I was reading yesterday that the British car industry made about 2M cars a year in 1970, and by the end of the 70's it was around 1M. Such a shame.

[@djtaylorutube]

P.O.L.I.T.I.C.S. Stubborn people in the wrong place. How could such daft decisions be made, oh wait, we're living through such things again.

[@saxon-mt5by]

Two very good reasons: Triumph were convinced their engine was superior - and it might have been if there had been money for its development, and secondly Rover didn't have the capacity to build enough engines for their own use, never mind adding Triumph's requirements to the list.

[@russcattell955i]

The Rover V8 is not only lighter than most V6's but lighter than MGB 1.8 B series. As for engine build capacity, it is easier to provide more tooling & staff rather than design new tooling. However this was BL, nuff said.

[@MC93SE]

There could've been a V6 version of the Rover V8. Leyland Australia was working on a 3.3 litre V6 version of the Leyland P76's 4.4 litre V8 which was an enlarged version of the Rover 3.5 litre. Unfortunately the P76 was killed off before the V6 made it to the market.

[@SD1922]

My father worked in the Experimental Dept. at Triumph (Fletchamstead North) for many years. He told me that the 'T' bar fitted to the windscreen was a means of solving a severe scuttle shake on the prototypes. Very cleverly, it was then sold as a safety feature!

[@colinlambert791]

TRUE!!

[@brianhewkin5465]

I much regret getting rid of my stag , with a few mods like fitting a rover SD1 V8 and Datsun half shafts it ran sweet for years

[@simonchaddock4274]

What a lot of comments! My own contact with the Stag was as a young toolroom apprentice I was given the job of hand polishing the press tool for the boot lid with a carborundum block! It took several days. The next contact 12 years later was with the slant 4 cylinder 2.0 16 valve in the Dolomite Sprint. To say by this time they had overcome the engine problems was a bit optimistic. It was a wonderful engine but all the cooling problems remained along with the cylinder head gasket. At the time a Ford Cortina water pump was less than £10 the Sprint one was £72. With its SU carbs on one side of the engine bay with no hot air feed and the exhaust manifold half buried under the block on the other side carburettor icing was a real problem on a damp January morning. It was at least 10 miles before the under bonnet temperature rose sufficiently to melt the carb ice. Until that happened the engine would simply not tick over. Too low geared for comfortable 70 mph cruising along with horrendous wind noise. Like all BL cars of the era it rusted pretty quickly but it was nevertheless great fun to drive. I wish I still had it but I sold it to buy a Lotus 7. I wish I still had that too!

[@jaydee3046]

In the late 70's, I was in a breakroom, and overheard 2 people discussing a car: "it was such a good deal, priced well below other roadsters", "looks great, but breaks all the time", "Quality sucks", then the telltate statement " and the V8 is terrible. " You can guess what it was.

[@toadlika]

Triumph Tiger?

[@michaellacroix8029]

What?

[@stevecarter8810]

My dad had one of these with a hard top, painted Wedgwood blue. The dashboard design with its circular light cluster and its circles and segments motif is etched in my brain.

[@adampowell5376]

It seems to that BMC and BL had lots of good ideas that they managed to mess up.

[@torstenscholz6243]

It's very telling what a mess BMC/BL was back then and how everything went Murphy's Law there if you see how they managed to screw up even the most hopeful projects.

[@DiscoFang]

The Guidance Counselor at my high school had one. He was the classic too-cool-for-school Counselor that all the kids liked. In my 2nd to final year (15yo), he organised a trip to a local University 2 hrs away for their open day and a bunch of us went in a mini-bus and he drove his Stag up. On the trip back we drew straws to see who would ride with him and I got the front passenger seat and a girl I was keen on got the rear seat! Blasting the stereo, sun shining, top down, still remember feeling so cool.

[@vinylrulesok8470]

I always loved the Stag. My first car was a Spitfire but that too was so unreliable that I never bought another Triumph

[@slartybartfarst9737]

Ran a Hart engined Yellow Stag for 3 years. Fitted easy slide drive shafts and went to Rostyle who cast 5 of the last wide rim alloys as used on the rally 2.5pi. With bigger rad and electric fan, the 4 speed + overdrive was thrashed for 30,000 miles fault free, hardtop fitted for winter. Loved that car what a sound.

[@willarddonnovan6773]

And have car companies learned their lessons? They continue to design new crap to this day when reliable engines are phased out of production.

[@greathey1234]

Pressure by EU emission laws

[@richardrichard5409]

@@greathey1234 pressure from bean counters, the profits just aren't there like they were.

[@rodanone4895]

@@richardrichard5409 i agree. look at the BMW six cylinder motors... from E36 -> the cost reductions coupled with turbos... couped with dropping two cylinders allegedly for emissions. really to satisfy profit margins... right? you're getting 25 mpg under most conditions with either motor. let those turbos spool up and watch your mileage... it seems farcical. it's happened in every industry. people without industry passion, analyzing the business for shareholders, while never understanding the customers that actually purchase your product. in fact, in some ways auto execs hate their customers... making them build multiple models... motors and transmissions... how dare we!? you'll take your eighteen speed automatic like a man!!

[@paulmartin4971]

Hi great video my sister had a stag in the early 80's. EKL 626K Don't know whether it's still about proberbly not but that was converted to the ford v6 and was British racing green and sounded awesome, I remember it being a stunner then and they still look fantastic today. If I won the lottery I would definitely buy one and etype v12 and jensen interceptor just for the sound and looks. Wow this country used to make some great cars didn't we.

[@paulmartin4971]

@@a1c3c3u wow that's amazing mate would love to see it, if memory serves me right she might have bought it about 1978 ish.

[@MeTube3]

Considering how few were made, quite a lot still on the road today. The engine rebuilt with care and mods is actually quite good.

[@danielstickney2400]

Parked cars don't wear out.🙂

[@martinhaigh8345]

I first came across this car in 1976. My friend next door said he couldn't get his bike out of their garage because his mum's Stag was in the way. I wondered why his mum couldn't just run the Stag out onto their driveway. He was evasive and looked embarrassed. I now realise why it wasn't possible just to run the Stag out onto the driveway.

[@taffytop]

The Stag was always seen on the side of the road with its bonnet up

[@whalesong999]

I've been curious about the Stag and it's development due to having a '71, SAAB 99 with the 1.7L four engine. It was a delightful unit until the head gasket problem hit it at about 70k miles. I did the work on it myself, had the cylinder head milled to retrue which was advised against by SAAB instructions. It had to do with creating slack in the cam chain as my guess and also the relationship with angled bolt passage clearance in the head. I had no more problems with the head gasket and went on to about 107k miles when apparently a piston broke. When I tried to remove the angled studs for the cylinder head, they wouldn't budge, corroded to the head I guessed. With other pressing things in my life at the time, I sold the car to a rebuilder. In talking to the local SAAB dealer, I understand they had to destroy some of the heads to get them off the engines.

[@deaddoll1361]

Those angled head studs were just a genius design! I saw one in a shop once where they'd made little plasticine dams around the studs to hold something like WD40 and a block and tackle lifting the heads till the car was just off the ground. Every morning they'd add a little more lubricant. If the heads moved a little, you could get a hacksaw blade in to carefully cut them.

[@xzox]

@@deaddoll1361 Love it...True genius !

[@randalmontgomery4595]

Excellent; well researched and informative. Too bad such a lovely looking car did not use the Rover V-8 engine.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

The engine if it is rebuilt properly can work

[@adrianmonk4440]

The stresses placed on the heads & block by the different angles of the different head bolts is ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS. Mild wow.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Good informative vid, the Stag, like many of BL cars, a good design (body wise) but let down by the usual Leyland mechanical reliability issues & ensuing strikes.

[@aakeister]

Loved this car to bits. A couple of other things, the TR7 was originally designed as a soft top, but the USA roll over laws meant it had to be built with a hard top. Also, we were working on an aluminium TR7 with a 1600 ltr engine to go at the bottom of the range. The TR7 was designed to fit all sizes of drivers so the seats had fantastic travel for us tall ones lol

[@DanafoxyVixen]

Its a shame Triumph couldn't have used Daimler's plucky 2.5lt V8... it was a great engine

[@pauloconnor7951]

Perhaps. Were they paying royalties to Buick ? the originator of the 3,500 Rover V8 . WHAT an easily avoidable disaster !. All alloy V8 would have been excellent !!!

[@garethj9757]

Paul O'Connor rover bought the rights to that engine in the sixties so no royalties to pay William Martin Hurst done the deal as the engine was discontinued out in the states as it was too small

[@pauloconnor7951]

@@garethj9757 Gawd they were idiots attempting that Stag V8 then. Folly and a fools errand. That metalurigical stuff and the high water pump was news to me. I'd heard about the vapor lock. But Fragment / sludge in the Radiator !!. Four grenades built into that thing ?? !!

[@branon6565]

Dana Vixen..... the Ford 289 or 302 would've been even better.....

[@DanafoxyVixen]

@@branon6565 Too large and heavy. It would have been nice to continue a good already existing British designed V8..

[@larkhill2119]

I had my Stag engine rebuilt by a friend who worked at Cosworth on V8s He said the pistons were to tight and spent ages getting the valve timing right. Slight inlet and exaust porting and balancing on pistons and cranks. Air filter was the pipercross prototype. Electronic ignition. Compleatly different engine when built correctly could pull 6500 rpm in overdrive on a cold day. Constent rebuilding of everything else. Scary monster to drive.

[@chrisjohnson6876]

Great and informative video. Always liked the look of the topless Stag

[@stuartbollen1060]

No mention was made of the great TR8. It used the 3.5 liter v8, and with a few mods, like junking the stromberg carbs and using an edelbrock manifold and a Holley carb it really moved, and WBA’s very reliable.

[@sunbeam8866]

During the '80s, where I worked we had a pretty young lady customer that drove a pretty red Stag. Her dad had it fitted with a Buick V6. It was rather rough and unrefined but at least it was relatively reliable. As for that 4-cylinder, a friend had one in his Saab, another had one in his TR-7, and they weren't so great either!

[@stevedable]

Thankyou. Great critique of the Stag. Should have had the Rover 3500 engine all along in which case it wouldn't have won a lemon award. Oh well! The Triumph engine did sound quiet and tight when it worked. Great on the test drive. But then... Still want one though :)

[@BigCar2]

Yeah - we humans are odd. We know it's bad for us, but we still want it!

[@vacuumelite2065]

Back in the day, I had a TR3A. 2.2 Litre cylinder liners. Gas flowed cylinder head. Oil cooler. Re built uprated SU carbs....other various suspension improvement. It was splendid. Overdrive on 2,3,4. Double declutch down. Hardly touched the brake pedal. Happy times. 😊😊

[@frothe42]

As you can see in my thumbnail, this one is locally owned from Washington state, and it is at the repair garage more than being on the road. It is because of this video I spot this and took photos, and if spotted again, will take more. An extremely rare vehicle here in the US 🇺🇸.

[@geoffreypiltz271]

I remember a Classic And Sports Car Magazine review 10 or more years ago. It was the first time the magazine had actually tested a Stag and their conclusion, which surprised themselves, was that it was the best British GT car ever made.

[@MrRea112]

Another great one! Loved the archival photos of Triumph’s under development. We get Triumphs decision to develop their four and V8 but had they not made so many mistakes in their appalling design and development, both engines could have formed a credible modern replacement for BL’s ageing engine lineup which comprised post WWII Austin/Morris fours and sixes and a GM cast off V8. SAAB never suffered the same stigma despite starting with the same engine.

[@MrRea112]

@Mark Wehner So sad that SAAB went the away. Can’t say I shed a tear for the mob who brought us the Marina and Allegro. They (mainly due to a lack of money, shocking management and labour) killed Rover and Triumph.

[@tonylee-UK]

Thats best historical account of the Stag I've ever seen. Thank you.

[@BigCar2]

Don't forget to take a look at the link in the description. There's much more information, including interviews from the people who designed it from someone at the Stag owner's club.

[@ianrutherford878]

There might be accounts that correctly talk about a single instead of duplex steel timing chain instead of a stretching non-existent belt that would be better.

[@TheChill001]

it's funny how unreliable the V8 was in it's own day, how reliable it is today with some good tlc

[@dgs6315]

Wanted and saved for the Stag UNTIL learning of the problems. Bloody shame! Timeless, stunning design, still a beauty now.

[@stavrosk.2868]

What a shame. Stylistically the Stag was an absolute beauty.

[@nomebear]

I remember seeing a good many of them in south Texas where they were considered a luxury sports car. My sister owned a TR6 and it was a surprisingly reliable car, she performed her own services on the Triumph.

[@torstenscholz6243]

Well, Michelotti did his job as always. But as almost always in the 70s/80s - as soon as the Brits got their hands on the project, it was doomed to fail.

[@lobsterwhisperer7932]

yes it was a beautiful looking car and the sound from the exhaust was unparalleled in a British car.

[@gregspires304]

I had a blue Stag. Beautiful and fun with decent power and electric overdrive in 3rd and 4th gears, switched on the gearshift. I guess a previous owner or mechanic didn't take enough care. the hydraulic timing chain tensioner on one bank of cylinders was left locked in the maintenance position and not tensioning. Theslackness of the chain evidently wore the crankshaft sprocket and one time starting the engine the chain slipped and then grabbed again and forced all of the valves on one bank (4 cylinders) into the pistons, breaking valves and main bearing caps. Terrible. And the cylinder head being held on by bolts at one angle and studs with nuts at another angle made work difficult and put stresses on the head and studs. Pulled the engine and went through a tough repair.

[@frothe42]

Just saw a Triumph Stag recently and snapped photos, same brown colour as the one featured.

[@phil-zz5hk]

i am a 35 year panel beater spray painter . the problem with all old cars where they where crap . they where rusty before they even had the plates put on . i worked for ford dealers mostly but worked on almost all cars . the wiring where dreadful and dangerous . even the old jags . they where famous for wiring rotting and the wiring plugs broken as the over heated and fell apart . i hate to say it , but the best thing that ever happened to the motor industry was the japanese .

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

Gorgeous car, I remember in the 1970’s a yellow one would drive past me and my mates walking to school. We all wanted one. My brother had the Dolomite Sprint, it was fast but spent more time being repaired in the garage than he ever did driving it. Load of junk.

[@georgeallen7101]

Got a ride in one of these on passing out from my college back in 1974 ……… South Wales to London. Very smooth and seemed quick , l wasn’t driving , surprisingly good build quality. I liked triumph cars . Such a shame they didn’t go with the rover engine .

[@lundsweden]

It was reasonably popular here in Australia. A common sight on streets and in driveways up to the late 90s!

[@derekstocker6661]

I saw one of these on the A259 last week, fabulous looking even now and if it had not been for the engine problems that everyone seems to know about I would have probably had one, but these cars can be made good by really good motor mechanics and I am told the Rover 3.5 V8 is the best engine still for one of these. Thanks so much for a great report on a legendary car, and British made as well, and still one of the best lookers on the road.

[@exasperated]

Watched quite a few of these vids, and loaded this one up thinking "These vids are always really interesting and engaging, even though they lack humour"... "It was the engine" Well played. Well played indeed. I was not expecting that.

[@BigCar2]

Thanks. I had a lot of fun making that!

[@michaelbuckpitt337]

Still enjoying this great car since 1992, when I saw it and purchased it. Restored it to original specs, and have never had any problems.

[@ronniescott5179]

I owned a Stag shortly after their launch and found it a superb . However it soon became unreliable and the back axle failed, the engine failed it became rusty. Sadly the car industry was slowly dying with weak management and strike ridden workforce. I feel Triumph should have built a factory in the USA with local management and workforce.

[@jamesreynolds2867]

The problems of the British motor industry was caused 100% by bad management, failing to address the problems led to strikes, so the workers got blamed for everything, fast forward to Japanese manufacturers setting up in England, with Japanese management, end of problem, Nissan in Sunderland is the most productive, high quality factory in the company, so the answer is British workers and proper management.

[@anonnona8099]

@@jamesreynolds2867 Even worse than that - when (because of MFUs) they ran out of parts they'd find a way to goad the workers into striking so that they could blame the stoppages on them.

[@jamesreynolds2867]

@@anonnona8099 Absolutely, I know from personal experience at the run-up to the Ford Cortina Mk III the company had quality control issues which needed a delay production, so the company "engineered" a strike

[@anonnona8099]

@@jamesreynolds2867 Poor industrial relations were undoubtedly a blight, and one of the root causes of the disfunctional relationship was the lack of respect shown to the workers - they were never accorded the importance and significance in the overall scheme of running a factory to make cars which they should have been, they were treated more like plant and machinery, to be wheeled in and out of use as the management saw fit. And it wasn’t the fault of the people who built it that the Triumph V8 was cack, it was the fault of the people who designed it. And there was chronic under-investment. Did you know that in the 1950s/60s, Land Rover were actually proud of the fact that there was a long waiting list for their vehicles, particularly in Africa, they saw it as an indicator of how good their product was - everybody wanted one. The Japanese saw it as an opportunity to eat LR’s lunch by saying “you can have one pretty much right now”.

[@loljokes]

My step father was a car salesman at a Triumph dealership in 1975. He said the body of the Stag flexed so much, that once, as he was showing a new Stag to a customer, he could not get the driver's door open.