Geof Frackelton

Triumph Stag

The Stag was made by Triumph from 1970-77 with its own 3.0 litre V8 engine.  There were minor differences between the earlier MK1 cars and the later MK2's but all were V8's and soft-tops with a 'T' bar.  Two common myths are that some Stags were hard tops and some had Triumph's 2.5litre in line 6 engine.

As a school boy petrol head, I always wanted a Stag so back in 1990, I bought one that I could use daily but slowly restore (how wrong can you be ?).  Prices were high in 1990 so I could only afford a rough but 'roadworthy' 1972 Mk II car with 100K on the clock.

After just a year of everyday use I took it off the road to attend to a major infestation of tin worm and to remove noises that engines are not supposed to make.  16 years, one wife, one house, two kids and an empty wallet later I finally finished it (April 2007 to be precise).  

It has had a full ground up restoration with most of the work done by me, although I am grateful to a friend who did the paint-work professionally.  After all this work it passed its MOT first time and has done a mere 2000 miles since.  The MOT man said he had never tested a 'new car' before they are normally 3 years old !

The car is a joy to drive, with power steering, electric windows, soft top and room for two in the back. It also makes a nice V8 burble. The car will do around 25mpg on unleaded, not bad for a 36 year old V8.  Modern know-how has enabled owners to overcome most of the notorious reliability issues and spares are readily available.  Looking forward to happy motoring with NWCC.

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