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TRIUMPH STAG ROAD TEST
By Matt Nichols
When I was still a fresh faced apprentice and part of a group of lads who used to knock around together attending various ‘social’ events, many of today’s 1970’s classic cars were still being used as regular transport. Back then we were always on the lookout for lifts and luckily one of the elder brothers of a group member had a lovely Triumph 2000 with manual overdrive and often volunteered to do the driving. Sat in the back of this car I couldn’t help but be impressed by its relaxed cruising ability and seductive six cylinder engine. Step forwards thirty years and I find myself in faintly familiar surroundings once again as I climb aboard the Great Escape Classic Car Hire 1974 Triumph Stag in gleaming white, a car that still retains its original Triumph V8 engine.
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| Elegant 4 seat convertible | Road tester Matt at the wheel |
I think it is fair to say with a tinge of sadness that the Triumph Stag had quite a difficult start, middle and end to its life as a production car with relatively high numbers of build quality and reliability issues, particularly from the in-house engine. Something that forced many owners desperate to keep their pride and joy on the road to swap the engine for the ubiquitous Rover 3.5 litre unit, heresy for Stag purists. Initially this was seen as value adding in providing a blanket fix to a large source of the problems, but these days with better knowledge and understanding of the Triumph engine the reverse is now true and demand on the up for original cars. Despite being indicative of UK car manufacturing in the 1970’s this difficult start in life is a massive shame because spend time with this Stag and you start to realise quite how close Triumph came to turning out a genuine ground breaking motor vehicle. To start with it is packed full of original ideas and innovations some of which are surprisingly ingenious, such as the ventilation system which is a masterpiece offering independent control of both fresh and the usual warm/ cold air into the cockpit through a comprehensive set of small levers mounted in the central console. This means if the weather gets inclement and the roof has to go up you can still enjoy a toasty warm torso and a cool breeze blowing into your face at the same time. Next are the folding seats that tip inwards to completely open up access through to the rear of the car, very BMW. The pièce de résistance though is definitely the folding roof mechanism which can be quickly and neatly folded away behind the rear seats and end up completely hidden by the small flat tilting section of bodywork located forward of the good sized boot.
Driving this lovely Triumph V8 four seat coupe for first time is similar to arriving in a Mediterranean holiday resort the day after finishing work where you still want to move at the same pace you left home. Like when you find yourself getting frustrated with the slow speed of tea and coffee arriving at breakfast or with a member of staff who disappeared off with your boiled eggs order did not return for over 23 minutes. Don’t they realise you were due on the beach by 9:37am. A bit like your holiday this Stag is best enjoyed at a relaxed pace translated in this case by cruising around with just a tickle on the throttle pedal at around 2,000rpm or 50-60mph in overdrive 4th accompanied by a particularly sweet V8 soundtrack, something this car will comfortably do all day long.
To help you connect some more with your new detox lifestyle the overdrive is an absolute joy and brilliant at filling gaps between 3rd, 4th and the missing 5th gears. It works so well with the V8 that whilst on the move you only need the higher two gears and offers a great alternative to any automatic with instant responses to each flick of your thumb on the gear lever mounted switch. Other surprises include the brakes which are bang up to date by modern standards and fuel economy which I didn’t measure accurately but which must easily exceed 25mpg. The only driving consideration I found was with the pedal layout which is spacious except for the throttle pedal and so if like me you have large feet I recommend wearing as narrow footwear as you can just to avoid having to hinge your foot sideways. Other than that relax and enjoy this superb countryside cruiser with those nearest and dearest and return feeling just like you’ve spent a week in the sun.
Verdict - 1974 Triumph Stag
Driving
Consummate cruiser and ideal companion for a relaxed day out with family and friends
Engine
Triumph’s own V8 is quintessentially British being almost strawberries and cream smooth. Engine does its best work low down in the rev range
Performance
This car seems to perform better the slower you drive it and so relax, you are on holiday after all
Brakes
Surprisingly bang up to date by modern standards
Handling
Working on the basis that the steering wheel in a Stag is basically a good place to rest one of your hands, all you need to know about the handling is that it is extremely predictable
Desirability
After a slow start original V8’s are becoming increasingly sought after
Pro’s
Just like your holiday abroad, once into it you won’t want to return home to face the daily hustle and bustle once again
Con’s
Buying – Potential here for hidden horrors underneath and so tread very carefully
Renting – None
Overall
4/5
