Stag defender
It was interesting to read the article on ‘50 Great Classics To Buy Now’ in June’s C&SC, and I was surprised the Triumph Stag was mentioned at all – even with the usual derogatory comments. I believe that the Stag has been greatly underestimated, and that its high survival rate has added to its overall low value in comparison to other classics.
I decided to buy a Stag because I wanted a prestige grand touring sports car to accommodate my wife and two children, and in early 1980 bought a Stag with a manual ’box and overdrive, and 33,000km on the clock. Since then, it has reached 500,000 without any of the problems warned of by ‘experts’ who have never owned or driven one, even though it has been thrashed.
It is still largely original, but has had a bare-metal respray and engine overhaul. My concern when purchasing the Stag was purely one of overheating, which I hoped I could cure even though I had limited mechanical knowledge. However, even living in Melbourne – where temperatures range from several degrees below freezing to 40ºc-plus – and crawling along motorways from one side of the city to the other in rush hour, it always ran hot, but never overheated.
I was informed by dealers that there was only one thermostat setting, so I decided to drill one or two holes in it to improve coolant flow. On purchasing a replacement in case my attempt was unsuccessful, I was then told there were three thermostats settings: 88 cold, 82 standard and 74 hot. I removed the 88 and replaced it with the 74; it is still there today after 35 years. The needle has never been more than halfway up the gauge, even when the ambient temperature reached 47.3ºc. After speaking to owners in the UK and the Antipodes, I am convinced that many Stags were supplied with the wrong settings.
I understand that there are about 6000 Stags in the UK and 1000 in Australia and New Zealand, plus others around the world. There were 25,939 manufactured, which indicates that 27% have survived – giving the Stag the highest rate of just about any classic car, except where only a few were made in the first place. I have lived and worked in six countries and owned many different prestige makes, and the one that has cost me the least, been the most enjoyable and is still going strong is the Triumph Stag.
Ron Mills
Melbourne, Australia