The Stag was lively and fun to drive when the 3-liter V8 engine ran properly. Mine was one of only 432 stick-shift versions exported from the UK in 1972. Stags were launched in September 1971 in the US. Importing of Stags to the US ended after just 17 months. Production for other markets continued through the mid-1977 with total production under 26,000 with less than 4,000 imported into the states.

Just after buying the car I joined the Stag club. One week after I received a welcome letter - - I got a second letter asking if he wanted to join a class-action suit against British Leyland. Hummm. Bad sign.

When introduced it was the top of the line Triumph sports car. Although a wonderful concept sales suffered due to major engine flaws, including overheating, blown head gaskets, warped heads and valve gear failures in the newly designed V-8 with a cast iron block and aluminum heads. Due to the outlook of poor reliability I did not keep it long.

The roomy rear seat was the idea behind this purchase - to have a sports car that the wife and I could enjoy while at the same time bringing along our two young children.

Going to the F1 race at the Glen in 1976 was the longest trip we ever took in it and it ran fine. But by then I knew all the car’s potential serious issues and the following spring I sold the car to another Triumph owner.

It did leave me with a number of funny stories to tell (but best done over a few beers). Here's a picture of it. The Toyota out in the street behind it was my daily driver. Of course, I had an MGA I was restoring at that time as well, a $200.00 MG I might add.

 

I started laughing about the letters from the Stag club. Stopped when you said you got an MGA for 200! Then I just got jealous. Those were the days, eh? I also owned a Spit...my first car. Well used but it ran pretty good until I blew a head gasket and then tried to replace it with a couple of crescent wrenches and a pair of pliers. It might have been ok, too, had I not stored the head in my Air Force locker for a couple months. When I put everything back together the motor would not turn over. Even dumping the clutch at 30 MPH down a hill only resulted in locking up the rear tires. Bought it for 500. Sold it (in that non-working condition) for 500.

Yeah, we need to get together for a beer or two so I can hear some of those stories.

 

I made a few F1 races at the Glen in my youth but by 1976 I had done four years in the USAF and was living in Greenwood, MS. And, no, it is not a place I would recommend.

 

It is amazing that you could buy a car back then for the price of one good tire now.

 

In the 60s I saw several F1 races at Watkins Glen, with Graham Hill, John Surtees, Jimmy Clark, Richie Gunther, Phil Hill, Maston Gregory, Dan Gurney, Roger Ward, etc., on the first Glen course up the hill. As students we didn't have the money to buy tickets, so we watched the races from the hillsides and experienced the races from outside the fence. Those individual race cars were more interesting than today, but less safe to drive. There were some serious accidents with loss of life on occasion. I remember Jimmy Clark was driving the rear engine Lotus. Helmets, but no air bags.

 

Ah the glory days of F1 and British sports cars. I've always felt extremely fortunate to have been there and lived through it!

Mike you were ahead of me in working on them. I had a steep learning curve to make when I bought the MG. I didn't own a single tool and had never even changed oil on a car.

Jim those are truly legends in the sport and my hero's then and now.

 

From Automotive News Weekly