Lot details Registration No: MHE 90M Chassis No: LD247360 Mot Expiry: May 2010
Michelotti's prototype Stag, based on a shortened 2000 floorpan, looked so good that it was but a short step to productionising the design when given the green light by Triumph supremo Harry Webster in 1965. It launched to a stunned UK market in 1970 and there was nothing else like it from any British maker. A glamorous, four-seat convertible with a 3-litre V8 ohc motor, the Stag stirred the optimism of any British car fan at the dawn of the 1970s. It featured all independent suspension, and the rollover hoop joining the B-pillars to the windscreen actually made the monocoque stiffer, reducing scuttle shake. The 145bhp and 176lb ft motor provided ample power for the era. The car was available with 3-speed auto or four-speed gearbox, with electrically operated overdrive a further option for manual 'boxed cars. The top speed of 120mph put the car into rarefied company, and one little known claim to fame is that the Stag was the first British car to feature an inertia-operated fuel cut-off, operated in the event of a road accident. Production totals added up to many fewer than Triumph's original forecast, but today a Stag makes a superb choice as a summer tourer.
The vendor describes this particular example as being in "very, very good" (bodywork, paintwork) or "good" (interior trim, electrics, four-speed manual plus overdrive gearbox) condition, while he considers that the engine has "no apparent problems". The current MOT runs until May 2010, and 19 previous MOT certificates are with the car's history, as are many servicing bills going back to the early 1980s. It is fitted with five-spoke alloy wheels, and the car has both its black hood and period factory fit hardtop present. There is an active owners club for Stags, with a surprisingly youthful age profile. The support offered to the marque from many suppliers makes the decision to own one a coherent choice if you are in the market for a classy presence with an unmistakeable exhaust note. And the glamour still appeals - as anyone who has parked a Stag in front of an under-30 age group will confirm.
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