arguably the best video about the gorgeous Staaaaaag by far - loved it. love the factual unbiased appraisal, good side, bad side. Indeed a good stag is one of the best british cars out there
As a long-time owner of a Stag and admirer of the car when it was first introduced, i agree with many of your comments and feelings on the Stag. A properly sorted and maintained Stag is a joy to drive. I never tire of it. It actually lives up to its original remit as a sophisticated, comfortable touring car pretty well. The power steering effort can be reduced to improve the steering feel. One other small thing I would like to correct you on is that the front suspension is not double wishbone, but Macpherson strut. More in line with the 2000, 2500 range, not the Tr6. Anyway, I enjoyed your take on the car.
First car out of college was a brand new 1973 TR6 that I dreamed of for years. Finally got it and all my car dreams were realized and then came along the Stag. More upscale, bigger and for a bit more mature person (with a bit more money) but boy did I love it. Then came the problems but it never diminished my love for the design. To this day it's on my list of wish I'd have had one. Enjoy that beautiful, sorted out car. I'm jealous.
@@Everyday2Exotic great video thanks! for 22 yrs now I've been totally in ❤ with my '72 MGB GT (motor highly tweaked), but now I really want a Stag, grrr! 😂
The design is truly amazing and that V8 (when maintained or fixed) is truly in a class of its own. It's great that they are so many passionate owners keeping these amazing cars alive. We are lucky to have one here in the US!
This car sounds like a driver's dream and a mechanic's nightmare. The story behind this car and the history of its design was really intriguing. Now I kind of want to do a bit more research into what was going on with car manufacture at that time.
They weren't a mechanics nightmare, but they did have cooling problems which if not maintained,ie , keep the radiator topped up, they would overheat and warp the cylinder heads ,these problems can all be easily remedied now , back in the day British Leyland had too many problems to deal with to fix this kind of thing , still my favourite car though . Sadly a good one is out of my pocket.
Great video; lots of interesting information on a car most people aren't familiar with. Love the commentary, drive and, especially, the production. I've always loved this car and have almost purchased one on several occasions. But I was too scared. Looked at several with other motors installed. I've always thought the perfect engine would have been the Rover/Buick 215 V8. Thanks for bringing this great car to the collection and for sharing it with us.
The Rover V8 is a common swap for the Stag due to engine failure and would have been a much better motor as far as reliability, along with probably being more attractive to a US market due to its Buick origins. At the time, Rover claimed they couldn't produce the engines fast enough to meet demand for other parts of British Leyland to be allowed to use it. In many ways, I suspect that it was more about interdepartmental competition, however. That said, it did find its way into some MGB-GTs in the 1970s exclusively for the UK market and we have a genuine MGB-GT V8 in the collection we will do an episode on at some point. Most of the companies that made up British Leyland had historically been competitors and were suddenly forced to work together, but the management had never truly been merged so the rivalries continued. This lead to a lot of duplication of efforts, with internally competing dealers networks, and designs continuing to be produced that competed within British Leyland rather than competing effectively with the rest of the world.
Wow was checking a few TR6 videos and this popped up. I saw a few of these around SoCal over a long period, always a mystery. Great design review and the roof and chrome and the convertible top, that looked nice. Too bad the engine problem and marketing changing to match the Benz 7k checkup - ouch. Great car and love that sapphire!
Looks like your Stag is suffering from something that many of our Stag's do - incorrect front ride height due to the quality of the available parts. Chris Witor has the correct parts for you. Beautiful Stag.
Are you sure? It didn’t look that out of whack to me. What’s the right spec? Some distance from center of the wheel to the lower edge of the wheel arch?
Greetings from the UK. Oregon is a beautiful state, though I haven't been there since 1979 ! I'd love to bring my '73 Stag on a visit. This a great review, it left me wondering whether your knitting was finished before the end of your trip.
With Amy, the knitting is never finished! So glad you liked our showcase, Oregon is such a beautiful place, we are lucky to be able to live here. That's amazing that you've been, and you have a Stag! What's the story behind yours? Have you run into any major issues with yours?
@@Everyday2Exotic OurStag has recently returned to the road for the forst time in almost 40 years, after a very long on-and-off restoration. Running well, but we have a list of minor fixes and adjustments to work through. Nothing major though!
Sorry … I keep hogging your comments. I haven’t owned my Stag for a full year yet. And the only time I took off the hard top … I left the doors closed. Those dang window frames got in the way and made it super awkward. Feel kinda stupid now after watching you remove it with the doors open. Duh. 😂
Triumph one of the British car industries great what if's. I suppose the biggest what if would be ....... what if Triumph had been a German company and not British, BMW anyone? Again I have to say first class production value from the shoot to the edit.
Three litre V8...Ferrari had one also. Too bad the Ferrari engine could not have been adapted/adopted. Somewhat like the Merlin engine being adapted to the P51 Mustang to make it the legend it became.
They are pretty different designs... The Ferrari 308 GTB we did an episode on earlier is the more or less contemporary Ferrari 3.0L V8. It's much more reliable but fairly complex compared to the Triumph engine. A big part of why Triumph went this way. which I think we ended up cutting from the final video due to length, is due to Triumph trying to standardize their engine platforms, having developed the engine family that ended up being in the Stag as a modular system, where it could be a V8 or a 4 cylinder as used in the Triumph TR7, Dolomite, and others in the 1970s, including in a Saab, which is where some of the design issues also came from. The V8 variant was only used in the Stag, but the problems weren't necessarily unique to the V8 and some of them were also shared with the 4 cylinder cars.
Would have been a real winner if there had not been so much BL inter-divisional politics and obstinacy that prevented the Rover 3.5 V8 from being fitted. Or if not, fitting a high mount radiator header tank with a low coolant warning lamp to prevent overheating. And it would have helped to get ALL the casting sand out of the block coolant passages.
Please keep the videos coming! I really enjoy the format and today I learned a lot of the Stag a car I have always admired and never noticed the fine details exposed in the video. Thank You
Well done video. Not quite sure about the comment on the front suspension being the same as a TR6. Not a complaint just not sure it is the same. I think it’s better. It was a very modern car for its day.
We had these back in the garages I used to work, driven just about everything, but the stag was different , best car to drive by far ,, good to work on , and we didn't have any problems because they were in for regular service, there are very easy mods that can be done and can be as reliable as any classic , lovely car and underestimated ,
They really are such great cars! Especially ones that have been maintained and had some of the V8 issues fixed. The ones that are seen out on the road are truly legendary for both surviving and for being maintained! Thanks so much for watching and sharing
Oh … one other thing … your hardtop does not have the center spring pin in the center of the back edge. It’s a good thing to delete if you ask me. But mentioning differences from stock configuration is a good idea IMO. Great video!
This is the first video of yours that I have watched. Great job. Very impressed. A few nitpicky comments for you: first up, the Stag front suspension is nothing at all like a TR6. MacPherson struts. Lower control arm (singular) drag link. Also, you mentioned some differences between your car and earlier cars, some of the others might be of interest too. For instance… you pointed out that the name Triumph was only found on the rear bumper. But earlier cars had plate lights there with no Triumph nameplate. You mention the over boosted steering (true) and the small steering wheel. Did you know early cars had a bigger steering wheel? It’s annoying. Like driving a bus. 😂 All in all though, I’m really impressed with you video. Can’t wait to start watching more of them.
You are right. The front suspension is different but the rear is functionally the same as the TR6. I didn't know about the difference of the steering wheel or the plate lights. Admittedly I haven't had the opportunity to drive and have rarely seen any earlier Stags... There are a few others I know of in my state but other than the occasional British car show, I never see them. No problem about the nitpicky comments! They're definitely welcome and the comments help round out what we either missed or got wrong in the video! The goal for us is to share the cars and help inform people about them, their history, and what it is actually like to own and drive them. The more information we share the better!
Absolutely first class review and quality, this is the first I’ve seen of your work but, as Arnie would say, “I’ll be back”. I don’t know if you’re aware but overdrive is available to you in 3rd and 4th gear, so the order would be 1. 2. 3. 3OD, 4, 4OD. In essence giving you a six speed box. I have a ‘76 Stag in British Racing Green with automatic gearbox. I love driving mine too, and that V8 burble………..
Yes, it does have overdrive in both 3rd and 4th. I tend to not use it in third, however, largely because I am rarely cruising in 3rd in such a way that it makes sense to switch the overdrive on. Some of this may be habit from my other British cars that, if they have overdrive, generally have it in fourth only. If I'm in overdrive in third, it generally comes form me leaving the overdrive on when I downshift.
I really like the cars you have, please find either a citroen DS or better CX and give yourhonest opinion, amazing cars but hard to own, but REALLY amazing, especially the CX series2 with turbo. Betrer ride you only find in a bentley or Rolls
We have two Citroens in the collection but neither of them is a DS or CX, so filming one would require either buying one or borrowing one from another owner who is amenable, which is something we haven't done yet but have discussed doing some time in the future. The two Citroens we have are a Traction Avant and a 2CV, both of which are significant cars in the history of the automobile and would be worth doing an episode on. I'm hoping to get to one of them this season!
What a great video, your stag looks just like the one that i own. Have been a owner for 34 years, even took it with me to Australia from the UK. It was a shame that BL did not put the Rover V8 in the Stag. I think if they had done that the Stag would have been a success. The Stag V8 engine killed the car. Silly thing is BL had the Rover V8 which they used in the Rover 3500 and later in the SD1.
arguably the best video about the gorgeous Staaaaaag by far - loved it. love the factual unbiased appraisal, good side, bad side. Indeed a good stag is one of the best british cars out there
Thanks! We love our Staaaaaaag, flaws and all.
As a long-time owner of a Stag and admirer of the car when it was first introduced, i agree with many of your comments and feelings on the Stag. A properly sorted and maintained Stag is a joy to drive. I never tire of it. It actually lives up to its original remit as a sophisticated, comfortable touring car pretty well.
The power steering effort can be reduced to improve the steering feel.
One other small thing I would like to correct you on is that the front suspension is not double wishbone, but Macpherson strut. More in line with the 2000, 2500 range, not the Tr6.
Anyway, I enjoyed your take on the car.
Glad you enjoyed! The car is a real treat to drive!
First car out of college was a brand new 1973 TR6 that I dreamed of for years. Finally got it and all my car dreams were realized and then came along the Stag. More upscale, bigger and for a bit more mature person (with a bit more money) but boy did I love it. Then came the problems but it never diminished my love for the design. To this day it's on my list of wish I'd have had one. Enjoy that beautiful, sorted out car. I'm jealous.
The TR6 is a beautiful car too! We do enjoy the Stag quite a lot!
What a good review. I've had a '73 Stag for 30 years and i think you've assessed it very well. Well done.
Thank you! Glad you feel we did it justice!
An exceptionally good video of the essence of what a Stag really is. And what a lovely example your car is too.
Thank you so much! It really is a pretty car!
Wow, a fabulous advert for the Stag, I have owned mine since 1994 and your video made me want to drive it right now. Good work folks, subscribed
Oh thanks! It’s a beautiful car. Go drive yours now!
My very amateur attempt from 4 years ago th-cam.com/video/jF-C2Z-84Vg/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
@@Everyday2Exotic great video thanks! for 22 yrs now I've been totally in ❤ with my '72 MGB GT (motor highly tweaked), but now I really want a Stag, grrr! 😂
Beautiful car , a car I always wanted but could never afford one at the time , very envious, great video.
Beautiful example of Triumph Stag.
These cars are well loved in its native UK today and many still survive love the design and that V8 burble
The design is truly amazing and that V8 (when maintained or fixed) is truly in a class of its own. It's great that they are so many passionate owners keeping these amazing cars alive. We are lucky to have one here in the US!
There are many in Australia too
That V8 definitely sounds great. Stoked for season 2.
It’s such an iconic sound! Glad you are enjoying, we’ll keep making episodes!
This car sounds like a driver's dream and a mechanic's nightmare. The story behind this car and the history of its design was really intriguing. Now I kind of want to do a bit more research into what was going on with car manufacture at that time.
They weren't a mechanics nightmare, but they did have cooling problems which if not maintained,ie , keep the radiator topped up, they would overheat and warp the cylinder heads ,these problems can all be easily remedied now , back in the day British Leyland had too many problems to deal with to fix this kind of thing , still my favourite car though . Sadly a good one is out of my pocket.
@@Rugbyman269 I feel like Alex's 4 in the score, is a revenge score for how the car acted on its ride to Oregon.
Great video; lots of interesting information on a car most people aren't familiar with. Love the commentary, drive and, especially, the production. I've always loved this car and have almost purchased one on several occasions. But I was too scared. Looked at several with other motors installed. I've always thought the perfect engine would have been the Rover/Buick 215 V8. Thanks for bringing this great car to the collection and for sharing it with us.
Thanks for watching. It’s a beautiful car… but that reliability is not ideal!
The Rover V8 is a common swap for the Stag due to engine failure and would have been a much better motor as far as reliability, along with probably being more attractive to a US market due to its Buick origins. At the time, Rover claimed they couldn't produce the engines fast enough to meet demand for other parts of British Leyland to be allowed to use it. In many ways, I suspect that it was more about interdepartmental competition, however. That said, it did find its way into some MGB-GTs in the 1970s exclusively for the UK market and we have a genuine MGB-GT V8 in the collection we will do an episode on at some point. Most of the companies that made up British Leyland had historically been competitors and were suddenly forced to work together, but the management had never truly been merged so the rivalries continued. This lead to a lot of duplication of efforts, with internally competing dealers networks, and designs continuing to be produced that competed within British Leyland rather than competing effectively with the rest of the world.
Always loved the Stag, had not seen how the convertible top worked before pretty slick.
Isn’t it slick! Love that there are options to have the soft top for our ever changing Oregon weather too.
Wow was checking a few TR6 videos and this popped up. I saw a few of these around SoCal over a long period, always a mystery. Great design review and the roof and chrome and the convertible top, that looked nice.
Too bad the engine problem and marketing changing to match the Benz 7k checkup - ouch.
Great car and love that sapphire!
Looks like your Stag is suffering from something that many of our Stag's do - incorrect front ride height due to the quality of the available parts. Chris Witor has the correct parts for you. Beautiful Stag.
Are you sure? It didn’t look that out of whack to me. What’s the right spec? Some distance from center of the wheel to the lower edge of the wheel arch?
@@speedybuggy65 , it looks just a smidge high on the front. Consensus at SOC seems to be 14-14.5" from the wheel centerline to the wheel arch.
This is a very late reply, but thanks for commenting! We love our Stag!
Nice wheels, BL must have had some left over for the last of the MGB special editions.
Greetings from the UK. Oregon is a beautiful state, though I haven't been there since 1979 ! I'd love to bring my '73 Stag on a visit. This a great review, it left me wondering whether your knitting was finished before the end of your trip.
With Amy, the knitting is never finished! So glad you liked our showcase, Oregon is such a beautiful place, we are lucky to be able to live here. That's amazing that you've been, and you have a Stag! What's the story behind yours? Have you run into any major issues with yours?
@@Everyday2Exotic OurStag has recently returned to the road for the forst time in almost 40 years, after a very long on-and-off restoration. Running well, but we have a list of minor fixes and adjustments to work through. Nothing major though!
Sorry … I keep hogging your comments. I haven’t owned my Stag for a full year yet. And the only time I took off the hard top … I left the doors closed. Those dang window frames got in the way and made it super awkward.
Feel kinda stupid now after watching you remove it with the doors open.
Duh. 😂
Triumph one of the British car industries great what if's. I suppose the biggest what if would be ....... what if Triumph had been a German company and not British, BMW anyone? Again I have to say first class production value from the shoot to the edit.
Episode 2, in Season 2 will be E2ES2E2
It sounds like a protocol droid in Star Wars, too!
@@Everyday2Exotic Nice drone shots of the winery! Now you can name your droid. :)
Three litre V8...Ferrari had one also. Too bad the Ferrari engine could not have been adapted/adopted. Somewhat like the Merlin engine being adapted to the P51 Mustang to make it the legend it became.
They are pretty different designs... The Ferrari 308 GTB we did an episode on earlier is the more or less contemporary Ferrari 3.0L V8. It's much more reliable but fairly complex compared to the Triumph engine. A big part of why Triumph went this way. which I think we ended up cutting from the final video due to length, is due to Triumph trying to standardize their engine platforms, having developed the engine family that ended up being in the Stag as a modular system, where it could be a V8 or a 4 cylinder as used in the Triumph TR7, Dolomite, and others in the 1970s, including in a Saab, which is where some of the design issues also came from. The V8 variant was only used in the Stag, but the problems weren't necessarily unique to the V8 and some of them were also shared with the 4 cylinder cars.
Would have been a real winner if there had not been so much BL inter-divisional politics and obstinacy that prevented the Rover 3.5 V8 from being fitted. Or if not, fitting a high mount radiator header tank with a low coolant warning lamp to prevent overheating. And it would have helped to get ALL the casting sand out of the block coolant passages.
Can’t be many in the US haha
If the roof is up, you can get quite a lot of wine in the hood well!
True, we could kick out all passengers if we need to fit more wine as well. 🤣
I hadn't thought of that, but that would absolutely be true!
Please keep the videos coming!
I really enjoy the format and today I learned a lot of the Stag a car I have always admired and never noticed the fine details exposed in the video.
Thank You
In the UK in the late 80s early 90s you could pick up a Stag for less than £1000, GT 6s for the same price
Well done video. Not quite sure about the comment on the front suspension being the same as a TR6. Not a complaint just not sure it is the same. I think it’s better. It was a very modern car for its day.
We had these back in the garages I used to work, driven just about everything, but the stag was different , best car to drive by far ,, good to work on , and we didn't have any problems because they were in for regular service, there are very easy mods that can be done and can be as reliable as any classic , lovely car and underestimated ,
They really are such great cars! Especially ones that have been maintained and had some of the V8 issues fixed. The ones that are seen out on the road are truly legendary for both surviving and for being maintained! Thanks so much for watching and sharing
Oh … one other thing … your hardtop does not have the center spring pin in the center of the back edge. It’s a good thing to delete if you ask me. But mentioning differences from stock configuration is a good idea IMO.
Great video!
Actually, it does have it. we didn't call it out in the removal process, but perhaps should have.
This is the first video of yours that I have watched. Great job. Very impressed.
A few nitpicky comments for you:
first up, the Stag front suspension is nothing at all like a TR6. MacPherson struts. Lower control arm (singular) drag link.
Also, you mentioned some differences between your car and earlier cars, some of the others might be of interest too. For instance… you pointed out that the name Triumph was only found on the rear bumper. But earlier cars had plate lights there with no Triumph nameplate. You mention the over boosted steering (true) and the small steering wheel. Did you know early cars had a bigger steering wheel? It’s annoying. Like driving a bus. 😂
All in all though, I’m really impressed with you video. Can’t wait to start watching more of them.
You are right. The front suspension is different but the rear is functionally the same as the TR6. I didn't know about the difference of the steering wheel or the plate lights. Admittedly I haven't had the opportunity to drive and have rarely seen any earlier Stags... There are a few others I know of in my state but other than the occasional British car show, I never see them. No problem about the nitpicky comments! They're definitely welcome and the comments help round out what we either missed or got wrong in the video! The goal for us is to share the cars and help inform people about them, their history, and what it is actually like to own and drive them. The more information we share the better!
great work , interesting about the head bolts ,hmmm
Great review. I'm a big Triumph fan.
Absolutely first class review and quality, this is the first I’ve seen of your work but, as Arnie would say, “I’ll be back”.
I don’t know if you’re aware but overdrive is available to you in 3rd and 4th gear, so the order would be 1. 2. 3. 3OD, 4, 4OD. In essence giving you a six speed box.
I have a ‘76 Stag in British Racing Green with automatic gearbox. I love driving mine too, and that V8 burble………..
Thanks! We’ve got some fun cars coming up! British Racing Green is gorgeous. I bet the ‘76 looks beautiful!
Yes, it does have overdrive in both 3rd and 4th. I tend to not use it in third, however, largely because I am rarely cruising in 3rd in such a way that it makes sense to switch the overdrive on. Some of this may be habit from my other British cars that, if they have overdrive, generally have it in fourth only. If I'm in overdrive in third, it generally comes form me leaving the overdrive on when I downshift.
I really like the cars you have, please find either a citroen DS or better CX and give yourhonest opinion, amazing cars but hard to own, but REALLY amazing, especially the CX series2 with turbo. Betrer ride you only find in a bentley or Rolls
There is definitely a Citroen in the collection. And someday we will make a video about it!
We have two Citroens in the collection but neither of them is a DS or CX, so filming one would require either buying one or borrowing one from another owner who is amenable, which is something we haven't done yet but have discussed doing some time in the future. The two Citroens we have are a Traction Avant and a 2CV, both of which are significant cars in the history of the automobile and would be worth doing an episode on. I'm hoping to get to one of them this season!
Good show guys!
The look of the Stag is cool and elegant.
It really is a classy car!
Wow, what a picturesque drive! Keep making videos… we’ll keep watching
Thanks! Would be hard to find a prettier state to drive in.
What a great video, your stag looks just like the one that i own. Have been a owner for 34 years, even took it with me to Australia from the UK. It was a shame that BL did not put the Rover V8 in the Stag. I think if they had done that the Stag would have been a success. The Stag V8 engine killed the car. Silly thing is BL had the Rover V8 which they used in the Rover 3500 and later in the SD1.