BUYING GUIDE (1970-1978)
A mellifluous V8 with Michelotti styling – there’s a lot to like about Triumph’s classy GT, but here’s what to watch out for…
Questions doubtless flew around the Canley offices in early 1964 when Michelotti asked if he could have a used example of the 2000 saloon that Triumph had just finished. But, after placing a respectable 21st in that year’s 24 hours of Le Mans, Triumph gave him a 2000 to fiddle with.
Michelotti lopped the roof off, shortened the floorpan and left the drivetrain in place. With a radical new ‘face’, the finished two-seater was presented to Triumph and chief designer Harry Webster as a proof of concept, and they were duly won over. The project was moved in-house under a shroud of relative secrecy – Michelotti wasn’t even allowed to show the car in Turin. By 1966, anew project, codenamed Stag, was born. Interestingly, ‘Stag’ was the only Triumph moniker to ever make it from pre-production to showroom.
Despite distractions, the Stag project was swept along with a plan to sell it in the United States, too. Webster, adamant that the North America was a sound market, pushed forward with the idea of adding aV8 and work was underway by 1966. Meanwhile engineers rectified dreadful scuttle shake with a T-bar roof.
Triumph worked hard to keep its new sports GT a secret from forced sibling Rover; it trialled Rover’s V8 engine but knew that Rover couldn’t scale production to meet Stag demand.
Come 1970, the car was unveiled to favourable impressions with the buying public. Power was up on the bigger Rover V8 and the styling besotting. Reviews in period spoke of a silken GT with waftable pace though the well-documented issues with the engine soon rose to the fore. Now, though, it’s a buyers’ market for Stags and with the existing support, there’s no better way into enjoying a soulful British V8.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The chassis outriggers, jacking points, subframe and suspension mounts are all key areas to check. A good starting point is the crossmember beneath the radiator and work back from there. Check the cabin and boot floor, especially if you suspect water ingress. The base of the rear seats is a good indicator of problems and reveals the state of metal that hasn’t been masked by underseal.
Most Stags have been restored; evidence to the quality of this work can be found in sagging doors, wonky shut lines and fields of filler around typical repair spots. The front panel behind the headlamps, front inner and outer wings, A-posts and wheel arches all succumb to tin
