Old Top Gear Buying a Triumph Stag

Quentin Willson provides an overview of the Triumph Stag - and why he wouldn't buy one.

[@ducklakeview2996]

I have a 1973 Stag, and I LOVE IT! Mine has also been fitted with the classic Rover V8 engine, so is reliable as well as quick!

[@ericgeorge5483]

Despite the questionable reliability, I would love a Stag. Genuine thing of beauty.

[@darticulate8751]

But most of the Stags inherent problems now are completely sorted by the enthusiasts and club members and the dedicated garages like Hart improvement kits etc.. LONG LIVE THE STAAAAAAAG !

[@ginette1469]

Agreed. I met another (red) Stag owner this week. He had the headers on his TV8 and a straight-through exhaust. Blimey. The THUNDER it made shook the ground.

[@utubecomment21]

Unfortunately I've witnessed crashes in both cars. Believe you me, in a crash, you better be in the beemer!!! As for reliability... it still a Triumph, not a Lexus - cough!

[@royster3345]

Lexus, comparing to another car built 10 years after the Stag was discontinued you would hope the Lexus was better.

[@ianvicedomini2648]

Regardless of it's downsides, the stag was a one off piece of beauty and compered to the cars of today, the stag still lives on..

[@MrSteamywindows]

Quentin. I would rather eat my own spleen than have a 3-series convertible. Stag every damn day. Just for the sound if nothing else

[@ginette1469]

I must admit I just bought a 3 Series convertible (albeit an E36), but I prefer the Stag. What's better than having a convertible? Two convertibles.

[@ducklakeview2996]

MrSteamywindows Quentin knows SOD all!

[@ginette1469]

Dead right. He was pushing the same pap on the Classic Car Show last Thursday.

[@mattventuretimes]

My grandpa and my uncle mick still are stag specialists to this day (though now minus the moustache)

[@ginette1469]

Matt Gamble Mick Ward? You must get some great cars to drive. Jealous. I have bought quite a few Stag bits from E.J. Ward. Cheers.

[@paddy20111000]

Interesting that he mentioned crankshaft failure . Mine , in a '75 manual ' split in two on the motorway about 50 miles short of Cannes in '81 . Man did it make shite out of the innards og the engine . After getting it back home and replacing the engine it just would not start from cold . I had it in garage after garage and no one could get it sorted . In the end I sold it to a "friend" . He effing knew that all it needed was a thing called a voltage resister . It cost about a fiver and only a few minutes to replace . It doubled up the voltage to the plugs when starting from cold . When I found out how he had screwed me we were not friends for much longer . Even though it was off the road as much as it was on , I still miss it and would love to have one again . By far the nicest car I ever owned .

[@lennylaa1686]

crikey, does not say much for those ''garages'' you went to !!! shame you did not go to your friend in the first place for that repair !!!

[@paddy20111000]

Back then I was in a CB club and five of us had Stags . Mine was the only one with a hard top and was by far the nicest one of the five . That "friend" was a sparks , not a grease monkey , but himself and another friend of his had done a lot of work on their Stags and knew them inside out . He had recently sold his one and was driving a 2002 BMW but he missed his Stag and really wanted to get his hands on my one . He knew the trouble that I was having with mine and that it was driving me nuts having to start it up every few hours or else end up push starting it .He was well aware of the reason it wouldn't start when cold but he knew that if he waited long enough he stood a good chance of me getting so fed up with it that he might get it from me cheaply . In the end that's what happened , I sold it to him for a lot less than it was worth .. The guy who looked after mine had served his time in Canada , mostly on V8's and was usually very good . When he couldn't solve the problem I brought it to two of the best garages in Dublin at the time but neither of them could figure out what was wrong with it . I thought that it was the lousiest thing that a guy could do to a friend , apart from sleeping with his girlfriend . I never spoke to him after that but damn it , I still miss my Stag .

[@kevinford6420]

What a cad!!!

[@janeswift9961]

I've drive mine twice from Oxford to Scotland, neigh bother, and I'll be doing it again and again.

[@saleendriver]

The Stag was a beautiful car, cursed by being born when nobody wanted to work, and the company that created it had no idea what they were doing. So many "could have" and "should have" phrases surrounding such a lovely piece of metal. I say find a good example, drop in a modern crate motor and transmission, big 4 row aluminum radiator, and have some fun.

[@warntheidiotmasses7114]

And to think they had the Rover / GM V8 they could've put in.

[@johnburns4017]

There are mods to prevent the overheating. There is larger radiators, raising the top up vessel, better water pump, etc. All the problems of the engine are well know with mods to rectify. Fit the mods and the engine is *very* reliable.

[@ghuddesign2811]

a little late here but, where would someone in 2021 find these mods today?

[@johnburns4017]

@@ghuddesign2811 Join the owners club.

[@odfkjdhgovj]

Love these cars. If you own a mint, restored one in the UK there’s a decent chance my old man nut and bolt restored it completely by himself in his home garage, including paint. He is a master of Stags. He has done around 15 in the past 20 years. The latest being one of the last cars to roll of the production line, a white with tan interior, manual V8 car with a mere 26000 on the clock. Beautiful thing. They have paid for all of mine and my sisters Christmas’s and family holidays and countless late nights of fun helping and learning about cars and engines with him in the garage. These cars will always hold a special place in my heart for those precious memories as a child and teenager, building them and going to many car shows up and down the country with AC/DC’s Powerage always in the stereo. Maybe we’ll do one more together and I’ll keep it forever.

[@utubecomment21]

In certain colours, at certain angles it looks OK. But I'd ditch the back seats, chop it and shorten the wheelbase.

[@70Kenny]

I want a Stag sooooo bad!

[@voice.of.reason]

The old Top Gear like this was much better than the later shows of expensive jollies abroad shows that the BBC sent Clarkson and co. on. The only old cars on the New Top Gear show were blown up or thrown in the sea. The only cars reviewed were racing cars way out of a normal persons budget, but perhaps alright for someone on an inflated BBC salary. The old Top Gear, actually helped people buy a car and reviewed cars that normal people could afford. It need to come back in that format.

[@petyrkowalski9887]

The Stag was and is gorgeous. Its problems such as overheating can be fixed fairly easily.

[@ghuddesign2811]

Could you elaborate on these mods, and where to find them?

[@slartybartfarst9737]

I had a yellow n black Mk2 with hart engine, stainless pipes, set of Rostyles ( lie the rally triumph 2000 they cast them spacial for me! !) no rust, holley 4 barrell. did 35k miles brilliant car (mind you engine was 100% recon) god it was so fun.

[@lewis72]

If you're not going to buy a Stag... why not have an XJS convertible? Far classier than a 3 Series !!

[@stewartmcmanus3991]

I might have built that car, Standard - Triumph was my last job in UK before emigrating to Australia in the 70s.

[@sunsetvlogs5500]

How’s Australia

[@johnwh1039]

True story, a bloke who lived over the road when I was a late teenager (70s) had a Stag. He was a Cambridge trained mechanical engineer (and he still bought one!). He bought a new engine from somewhere like Rimmer Bros, presumably surplus stock after production ended. Being cautious he decided to strip and check it before installing. I, full of know it all teenage bravado, thought 'what a daft old bloke' (he was 30 something). Long and short of it was that he found the waterways full of casting sand.....

[@MrDodgedollar]

And here in a nutshell is the cause of the Stag, the Triumph range, and the whole of BL to come crashing down- Quality Control absence

[@unigateman]

Ding Dong love the Stag can't be wrong. I have one great car..

[@Kref3]

With the hardtop it actually is a really beautiful coupe. Without top though the roll bar ruins it for me. Certainly it will be a joy to drive on a nice day, but to me it just does not look nice.

[@forresg500]

Loved when questin put foot done Then hybotic v8 sound Quentim music

[@asd36f]

The Stag had a V8 engine which was two Triumph Dolomite four-cylinder engines joined by a common crankshaft. Wouldn't it have been easier and cheaper to use the alloy Rover V8 engine instead?

[@ginette1469]

Graham Clayton Thanks for the comment. That's a common misconception. They used some of the same tooling, but the crankshaft was not the same; the block was, of course, an entirely different (complex) casting; heads are different. It's about the same as saying the BMW M20 S6/M70V12 are the same; some similar design; some of the same tooling. The Triumph V8 was also the core design; however, the 4 came first, as Saab contracted to buy the engine for their 99 model.The Stag V8 was planned well before the BMC/Rover merger with Leyland was even on the horizon. Significant R&D and even tooling had gone into the V8 at the time, and it was thought that the SOHC design would supersede the Rover V8's OHV. However, as we all know, the TV8 suffered from underdevelopment and cost-cutting at Leyland (casting the block in-house; dirt in aluminium for the heads; casting sand left in the block). BL were simply not prepared to invest in the engine and the workforce built them poorly.The Rover V8 did not fit *at the time*, although modders proved it could fit later. The RV8 oil pan that allowed the RV8 to fit without excessive modification was not available until around 1975.That said, even contemporary pro installations of the RV8 in the Stag can be problematic, because the RV8 is too tall. You need an angled carb bracket to the inlet manifold and a shallow pancake air cleaner to avoid a bonnet bulge or, worse, a cut bonnet and a shaker to accommodate the carbs/air cleaner. The RV8 did have its deficiencies; premature bore wear; a rope seal; and garages were still not used to part/all-alloy engines and often poured water into alloy engines, causing corrosion. BMW heads suffered from both lack of coolant and overheating in the 1970s as well. In hindsight, of course, the RV8 would have been a better choice, due to tuning/capacity options and its reliability. BL/Triumph did seriously investigate the RV8 Stag in 1977, but dropped the idea due the Stag's relatively low sales. I have to admit the biggest worry I had with my Stag was the cost of the engine blowing up. But in 5 years' ownership (it had a top-end re-build in 1998), it has proven exceptionally strong and reliable. It does have an alloy radiator, silicone hoses throughout and electric fans, however, along with electronic ignition. But these are not expensive upgrades and they should be installed in any daily-driven classic car to upgrade its technology. Again, this is common to E36 (1990s) BMWs as well, all of which require upgraded water pumps, radiators and thermostat covers to replace the vulnerable plastics BMW used originally.

[@julzhickman]

seen the 32 valve stag v8 built using dolomite sprint heads? its on youtube

[@janeswift9961]

Nope, think about it , where would the inlet and exhaust manifolds be. The Rover V8 wasn't bullet proof either.

[@bombadilian]

I'm in awe of your knowledge, hats off to you good sir. Clearly your Stag is in the best of hands.

[@212MPH]

The 4 cyl 1850 and 2litre 4scane from the TV8 not the other way around. Learn your facts before spouting something someone else told you.

[@marcusashwell8314]

Can you not retro fit a rover v8 engine?

[@heintmeyer2296]

After describing the huge rust issues: "The Achille's heel is the engine" .You can't beat the brits for subtle comedy

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Well, as I'm not a yuppie, I think I'll take the Stag thanks.

[@zanegrey4720]

Love the triumph stag.

[@MrDodgedollar]

How times change…

[@FirstOnRaceDayCapri2904]

A lot of people put 3.0 Capri V6 engines in stags, pretty much the same performance, more reliable, although you do lose the V8 noise, but the V6 can sound awesome too with some cherry bombs.

[@analystab1]

It definitely spoiled the character, though.

[@tvweekhighlights]

The looks are still wonderful. Electric motors should make building a "new" stag simple enough - with a recorded classic v8 soundtrack. A EuroMillions dream project....

[@MarquisRex]

I bought a merc 560 SL instead (I’m a Brit who emigrated to the USA). 560s are still cheap here and utterly bombproof

[@212MPH]

Wow how interesting

[@redmr2na]

No, they're not. If the engine goes wrong, you scrap the whole car. The engine will never run right again.

[@AutoScape1]

@@redmr2na What an utterly stupid libtarded thing to say. The M117 rarely goes wrong and its bomb proof. And yes, still cheap for what they are but rising quickly...

[@MarquisRex]

@@redmr2na yes they are- lowly stressed and parts way over engineered, unlike American crap. Built to higher tolerances with excellent parts availability. You need to do the work yourself. Those who whine about them are usually mechanically inept

[@redmr2na]

@@MarquisRexBelieve me Mercedes engines are not bomb proof. I knew 1 person with a 280 SL who had to have their engine rebuilt BY a supposed Mercedes Benz engine expert 4 times before they gave up and sold it for peanuts. I knew another person who had a 380 SL, who after 3 rebuilds and 4 years finally cut his loses and drove it to the scrap dealer and got what he could for it. Shame really as both cars were in awesome shape cosmetically, but the mechanicals let them down.

[@musoseven8218]

Love Stags. Blousey? No, open shirt, hair chest, Old Spice wearing he-man car. I love the V8 burble. I know lots can be done to improve the cooling etc, but the engines are still iffy to an extent (gawd I agree with QW!🥴😲😕), I know that the OC and enthusiasts have worked through most issues, but it's still off putting, sacrilege I know, but I'd prefer a Buick V8 or a Pi 2500 straight six, for peace of mind. Although I've had the Buick V8 overheat - detuned by MG - in an original MGBGT V8 and other heat related issues, but TBF they were sorted, quickly, without too much drama and that car ALWAYS surprised boy racers when they tried it on😄😄✌️🤣💜

[@lewis72]

I'm watching this 1 1/2 years after I bought a Triumph Stag.

[@ginette1469]

Congrats. Got any vids or pics? I've had mine 6 years this year. Cheers.

[@lewis72]

Gen Dawson Oh. Not yet. Mine's a '70 J plate (possibly '71.) Manual O/D in blue with Triumph V8. I've just had most of the bodywork done but it also needs work done on the engine, diff, O/D, hood and no doubt much more stuff !!

[@ginette1469]

Ah, you have quite a project, Well saved. That is a very early Stag, if late '70 or early '71. Vey few left from the first-sanctioned build. Mine is final month of build (June '77) and an Australian car. A lot of the '77 Stags seem to have come to Australia, as it was the biggest Stag export market after the US sales folded in '73. All the best for your restoration.

[@lewis72]

Gen Dawson Thanks. The chassis plate is LD 761, so it is fairly early. I AM in two minds whether to sell it as i've been given a '76/'77 XJS that needs a bit of TLC.

[@ginette1469]

That is possibly late '70. Ah, love the XJS. Although the early-ish (pre-HE) V12s are a bit of a plumbing nightmare, aren't they? I assume the Lucas EFI experienced some of the same problems as the Triumph 2500 PI. Great cars though. Have had a ride in a couple.

[@lewis72]

Could've bought an XJ-S convertible for £10k then... even got for the 3.6 straight-six, which was a reliable engine and not _that_ bad on fuel.

[@terrificspokesman7416]

People say that there are mods to improve the original engine. What do you recommend. Improving the original engine or putting a Rover V8

[@sceptic33]

Convert it to electric. Engines are retarded

[@juststuff5216]

This would be my choice! - kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2aWg51_a915l6c

[@mowoggreen7878]

A good vid upto putting the Kraut shit on at the end !!!

[@KKTR3]

It's a car for Leslie Phillips And speaking of Leslie This chap is just like him except the not the charm The cad without the charm

[@williamegler8771]

Edsel may have been a marketing "MUCK UP" but they were more reliable/durable than almost any British French or Italian car...

[@212MPH]

Never ever compare American junk to beautiful European cars.

[@jonathanpardoe8722]

Back in '76 I swapped my gorgeous 12 month old Stag for a 69 Jensen FF and regretted the deal to this day .

[@juststuff5216]

For what reason(s)?

[@DavidUKesb]

Yeah Quentin, because there are just so many hairdressers driving around in 3 litre V8s.

[@johnrandle8365]

Maybe but it should have been right before it left the factory then enthusiasts wouldn't have had to but things right that the manufacturer should have done right.

[@darwenrover8910]

If you put aside the first song used in the background of this Top Gear clip. The producer at the time must have been a fan of Fleetwood Mac.

[@johnburns4017]

The sound of the time.

[@chainsy14]

I didn't know David Mitchell reviewed this car

[@shaekeeney319]

Did this guy really just say he'd rather have a reliable car, then hop into a BMW?? haha

[@juststuff5216]

That's what I thought. When it comes to engines, BMW are a total disaster.

[@phantomwalker8251]

best thing to do with a stag,,fit a 289 windsor.5sp.also good for the capri..

[@nfelvis68]

Oil and filter change every 3000 miles?...ouch!

[@ginette1469]

Thanks for the comment, but who doesn't do that with *every* classic car? I do it on my vintage BMWs as well. It's cheap insurance, keeps the whole thing clean, reduces friction and maintains oil pressure. Takes 45 minutes (30 of those waiting for the oil to drip out). Cheers.

[@ginette1469]

***** Coolants have improved dramatically since the 1970s. There's nothing special about maintaining the Stag cooling system. Ensure the water pump's in good working order (rebuild) or go external. My Stag has no engine fan, 2 x 10" rad fans and a 16" Davies Craig for the air conditioning. Overheating any alloy headed engine will lead to the same result. And unless you get a used (unknown) engine, BMW engines are nearly as expensive as Stags to rebuild. They may be a bit cheaper in the UK/US, but not in Australia.

[@ginette1469]

***** Thanks for your comment. Depends a lot on driving conditions (short or long runs; traffic; highway). 3,000 miles (5,000km) is usually accepted as the safe limit for mineral oils. If you run semi-synth or full-synth (less likely with older-style gaskets), then service intervals can be longer. I use a 20w/60 Penrite premium mineral in the Stag and older BMWs (high levels of ZDDP), while the newer cars get semi- or full synthetics. Cheers.

[@pauljames3058]

Rather have an allegro

[@juststuff5216]

They were the business!

[@sutherlandA1]

If the stag is a hairdressers car than the 3 series convertible is a feminist icon

[@ginette1469]

Not sure what that makes me then (!). I have a Stag and *two* BMW 3 Series convertibles: E36 and E93.

[@hornslane]

I know, some scrote thieved mine!!

[@sicks6six]

timing chain stretched 20K miles, coolant tank boils dry when in slow traffic because its above the engine, head bolts set at different angles so stretch differently leading to head warp, oil change four times a year, handles like an armchair, suspension like pogo stick, brakes that work when cold,

[@terrypeart3875]

Kevin Jones But.....it looks so beautiful

[@briancarton1804]

@@terrypeart3875 Yes a beautiful looking heap of shit. What a crying shame , it could have been so different.

[@TheLifeEvents]

I would get one over the BMW

[@graemedurie9094]

Just look how poor the shutline between the window frame and the hardtop is - typical of its manufacturer.

[@ginette1469]

I suspect that's not fitted correctly. Mine (and many others) have very good fit. Cheers.

[@ungurdani8346]

Salut my friend super car super video subscribe subscribe ....

[@flyingmerkel6]

Hairdressery? Looking who's talking, pudding cup

[@Haffschlappe]

I prefer the great Leyland Princess 2200 HLS!

[@jibjab351]

Put a Rover 3500 engine in...job done.

[@juststuff5216]

Out of one unreliable frying pan, into another unreliable frying pan. Why d'you think all those Range Rovers, Rover SD1's and TVR's were breaking down during the 70's and 80's!

[@patrickthorpe6428]

Prefer my 1975 TR6 thanks - it will confidently drive me to the ends of the earth with no bother.

[@ricardomontanari2124]

Lacks the class of a stag though 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@juststuff5216]

@@ricardomontanari2124 but the TR6 had the relative reliability to make up for it. And there's nothing classy about having your car on the back of a flatbed ... again! My heart says Stag, but my wallet says TR6, with the i6 removed and this put in kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2aWg51_a915l6c

[@TheMuzikall]

Just drop a Rover v8 or a Ford v6 and 4get about the Stag V8 unless you want a Garage Monument for Concours competitions

[@barryscott3327]

V6 swap a v8 stag??

[@juststuff5216]

@@barryscott3327 Let's not be co, the Ford V6 sounds killer in the TVR, so why would it be unworthy for consideration? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWLMlql4lriMmq8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYmVmJijfpdnjKc - Triumph stag 24 valve Cosworth V6 TwinTurbo This would be my choice ... enjoy - kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2aWg51_a915l6c

[@lewis72]

IMO, where Triumph screwed up was not offering the Stag with the Rover V8 and the 2.5 Triumph Six in addition to their own V8. There's chuff-all difference between a Mk1 & a Mk2 to the extent that I don't even know why they have such designations.

[@juststuff5216]

I'd stick this straight 5 in. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2aWg51_a915l6c

[@abdelali9279]

"a bit hair dressy" does he mean it's for gay people?

[@timpriddy349]

BMW is ghay have some pride in your ride

[@bmwman1981]

Throw away the triumph engine and put in a rover v8

[@FAT8893]

I would so love to do that. The Rover V8 is an engineering masterpiece.

[@briancarton1804]

@@FAT8893 Why not a Lexus v8 more power super reliable.

[@leytonthomas2043]

Triumph Stag.....what a load of British scrap! Drives and handles like a bar of Imperial Leather covered in olive oil. Buying advice.....Don't!

[@johnburns4017]

I assume you are American.

[@SpitfireFortyFour]

Handling is one of the things Stags are praised for. The T-Bar arrangement means the chassis is still stiff allowing for excellent handling characteristics. If you're going to mock choose the engine as that is actually a reasonable complaint.

[@MrDodgedollar]

“Rides and handles like a bar of imperial leather “ 😂😂😄... fabulous!

[@luvr381]

Thank God I never owned a British built car.

[@markfox1545]

Ender - thanks for that voicing of your opinion. Sadly no one gives a shit what you think so go fuck yourself.

[@phantomwalker8251]

its not british built cars,its the insight & money the company has.take chev for example,had to go to japan to build a real engine,LS1/DURAMAX.but then,if you read u.s car manufacturing history,chev,were allways the poor mans car,.there were 3 engineers,that worked for one u.s company,had a big argument over production,& 2 left for the other companies,hence,a lot of design in the big 3,are the same.but,ill take a ford or dodge over chev ,,any day.most disastrous chev engines,350,6.2d,6.5diesel.rubbish..

[@juststuff5216]

@@phantomwalker8251 Let's be honest, American V8's from all brands have been hit-and-miss, mostly misses! And ford have as bad a reputation for engine failures, on par with BMW. The Cosworth 4-pot was junk, and the new Ford Focus RS have been equality problematic. The Ford Coyote V8 and V6 Ecoboost are the latest disasters.