1975 Triumph Stag V8 |

Sold

1975 Triumph Stag V8

Sold Price

£5,195

Mileage~49,016
TransmissionAutomatic
Engine3.0L
LocationEaling

SOLD

1975 Triumph Stag V8

I WANT ONE

Introduction

Darren Rungasamy

Automotive Editor, Photographer and Consigner

The Stag is a great-looking and usable family-friendly classic, the V8 engine made it an instant hit.

The Triumph Stag when unleashed in 1970, made its intent clear. An ambitious Michelotti-penned the car to compete with the best Europe could offer. With around 145BHP from its torquey V8, space for four people and the added bonus of a safety T-bar, the car was poised for great things. However, issues with the parent company meant the car never reached its full potential, yet the Stag has come around full-circle due to its sleek style and has now become sought-after thanks to its excellent parts availability and respectable image.

This example has to be considered as a garage find, after the untimely demise of its last owner. Last on the road in 2019, this 1975 automatic model with its original Triumph power-plant had been in the same ownership since 1977. It has been garaged for much of its life, but time has caught up with it somewhat. As a complete and original example, this is a wonderful opportunity to bring back to life a bona fide classic, so its glorious V8 can resonate through the open country roads again. With plenty of specialists available, this could be an ideal project car for someone looking to restore one from the ground up.

This auction listing was written from information supplied by Darren Rungasamy having visited and photographed the vehicle.

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Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Meet the owner

John had owned the car for 44 years and had kept it running throughout his life.

As a car that had seen the same owner since 1977, it was used on a regular basis until the owner fell ill two years ago. The car was used and enjoyed so it's clear to see he kept on top of the mechanics, and the garage where much of the work was carried out may be able to reveal further details of Johns use of the car.

According to his neighbours, John was constantly fettling, fixing and replacing components. Having known the car for much of its life, the Stag was very much part of him and must have felt a huge amount of remorse when his health deteriorated and was advised to stop driving last year. Sadly his recent passing has meant it is now available at an exceptionally low reserve and could well be something of a unique opportunity to obtain a Stag with just two owners under its belt.

John

Vehicle Owner

John saved £0,900* when they
sold their Triumph with us.

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EXTERIOR VIDEO

Exterior

The exterior certainly needs work, but its foundations are solid

Wheels and Tyres

The alloys have matted and show signs of age but are straight and free from kerb damage and could be one of the more straightforward items to bring back to scratch. The tyres are good having been placed on the car some 10 years ago although they may be losing air due to the possible porous nature of the alloys.

Bodywork

The body is straight, with flush fitting panels and mostly even panel gaps. The doors open and close with no issues, although the boot stay is not working. The car has a number of panel dents, the main ones can be seen on the near-side mainly on the door and rear wing. There are a couple of minor dents on the off-side door.

With the age and use of the vehicle, there is some corrosion visible most notably on the wheel arches, boot lid and front of the hard top along with the rear window frame. Externally the sills look ok, with the underneath of the seams showing some surface rust but no major corrosion. These "bad bits" are counterbalanced by the engine bay, inner wings, boot/spare wheel well and basic structure of the car looking in fairly good shape. The floor pan and suspension mounts have seen welding in the past but look generally solid, although the boot floor might reveal further issues. The T-bar could not be properly examined, but appear to be ok from inside, but again will need further investigation.

Paint

The French Blue finish has been well applied but is flat due to age and has some evidence of a few touch-up patches. It still retains a reasonable lustre but as a restoration project, it would need the metalwork to be dealt with before the polish comes out. There are chips on the passenger door edges, likely where they have caught a wall when open.

Glass and Trim

The glass is complete, with no cracks or chips. There are the expected signs of age but all salvageable. The rubbers have resisted the years reasonably well particularly the door items. The front bumper shows signs of age with a few dings, the rear item has corrosion. The chrome trim items show wear but on the whole could be cleaned up nicely, although items like the emblems and badges have deteriorated.

As this sale is being executed by the solicitors, we didn't have anyone at hand to remove the hard top and examine the condition of the soft-top.

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INTERIOR VIDEO

Interior

The interior is complete and has worn the years comparatively well.

Seats and Carpets

The seats do show signs of age, with the driver's seat in particular suffering the most. The bolster support has worn down, and as result, that section has lost its shape. Both front seats have a couple of minor tears but the back seat is better.

The carpet is complete and in reasonable condition on the most part, with some fraying observed on arch sections. The door cards are decent, with not too much damage in terms of wear, although the driver side is loose underneath. The headlining is damaged, with a section above the driver seat and rear window looking tatty. View the photographs and video to see the detail.

Dashboard

The veneer wood finish is in a reasonable state with no major damage, although the top of the facia has a few cracks on the passenger side but overall in decent order. The glovebox is not functional and appears to be stuck. The centre console shows age-related wear but is complete. The dials, switches and controls are presentable, the dash-mounted items could clean up well.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick

The steering wheel is worn, but not excessively and just needs a good clean. The same applies to the gear lever.

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'ON THE ROAD' VIDEO

Mechanics

Neighbours suggest that the engine had been well maintained until the car was laid up around a year ago.

Engine and Gearbox

The car has been unused in the garage for at least a year, and as a result we couldn't get it running. We did some basic checks, the engine turned over, but the fuel filter was dry suggesting a delivery issue perhaps related to the fuel flow, and we did see a weak spark present. There was a noticeable patch of oil observed on the near-side tyre too, which may need additional investigation. The engine had seen regular maintenance and fettling prior to it being laid up, with many components looking like recent items, including an alternator, carburettor parts and a fuel pump.

Suspension and Brakes

These cannot be verified but casual observation suggests that's they are in reasonable condition and due to the invoices pertaining to brake and suspension items should be relatively sound. The car was rolled in and out of the garage with no evidence of brake bind or rubbing.

The Drive

The opportunity to open up the V8 in the open sun was obviously not possible, as the car has clearly seen better days, but this must be the best motivation to get this car back into working order.

Electrics and Other

The battery wouldn't hold a charge, so proving its electrical durability cannot be determined but it had seen use up until 2019, so there is a good chance that much of the functions and electrical aspects of the car should be in mostly working order.

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History and Paperwork

A batch of invoices have been retained, which offers a clue to the car's health, coming out of ownership since 1977.

The car appeared to have been registered in Loxleys in Bromley in March 1975 and sold to the last owner when it was just two years old, appearing to have been bought by his company. He took on full V5 ownership when he presumably left the company in 1991, the changes meaning 3 former keepers are registered on the V5.

It comes with its V5, with its last MOT expiring in early 2020. There are invoices stretching back to 2010. These cover welding, MOT fixes, running gear components and show that it has seen oil and spark plug changes during this time. The car is being handled by a will executor and they will facilitate the handover. Additionally, the car is stored at the back of the house accessible via a narrow driveway.

We've actioned checks on; V5C, HPi.

Service History

Date	Type	Mileage
10-01-2019	MOT	48,472
02-01-2018	MOT	47,960
06-12-2016	MOT	47,230
04-12-2015	MOT	46,512
04-12-2014	MOT	45,716
10-12-2013	MOT	43,862
04-12-2012	MOT	41,317
24-11-2011	MOT	38,718
22-11-2010	MOT	35,822
17-11-2009	MOT	32,555
18-11-2008	MOT	29,225
03-12-2006	MOT	24,315
16-11-2005	MOT	18,911