The Mk 2 Triumph Stag Goes Electric!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- Watch the conclusion of the electric journey with the Mark 2 Triumph Stag. Adam Poulton talks to Les about the conversion of the Triumph Stag including giving the car it's first test drive but will the car live up to the expectations?
Video Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:01 The Story behind the car
04:00 The Reveal
05:20 What's under the bonnet
07:00 Interior
09:00 Electronic Exhaust
11:00 Out on the road
12:00 Difficult questions
15:00 What's it costing?
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For the haters there are far more Stags available than demand for them, your car your rules. Nice video, to be honest I went in looking to find fault but came out thinking, interesting.
Alas for me the Stag is an awesome sounding engine in a pretty body with a great ride. I will stick with the Triumph v8
Hi Churchhou, welcome to the channel thank you for your comments , yes not for everyone and all the reasons are explained in the video and agree the V8 sounds great nothing against engines
Great story, very personal clearly. I have had my Stag for 11 years and have spent quite a lot getting it into good shape, but I'm not in this league of spend! Stags are lovely to their owners in their different ways, and to each their own. Well done Les, you should be proud of what you've achieved and can pass on.
Thank you for your comments Paul, please post a picture of your Stag in our facebook page “This is my classic” we’d love to see it
When I went looking for a Stag eight years ago, I wanted one with an original engine. I wanted it to be as it came from the factory and I wanted that distinctive exhaust note. Just for fun one day, I got into one that had been repowered with the V8 from a Leyland P76 - a 4.4 litre derivative of the same Buick 215 as the Rover 3.5 and exclusively installed in that model in Australia and New Zealand during the P76's lifetime of two years. The car felt like every other Stag on the road....until I planted my right foot - she squatted on her haunches and then launched forward like something possessed! No bones about it - I had found my Stag!
Does it have the Stag's exhaust note? Not exactly - but it DOES have a beautiful rumble at idle, a snarl (and accompanying purposeful exhaust bellow) as you get up in revs and still happily cruises at the speed limit at 2200rpm in 4/OD using the original Triumph gearbox. The front springs were shortened to account for the weight difference in the P76 engine's all-aluminium castings from the original and thus the car still handles as well as she would have before the swap. I pedal the car hard occasionally and there is no way I could have expected the performance I get - accelerating up hills in 4/OD at a rapid rate and overtaking quickly at any speed like a modern car - from the original 3.0 litre Triumph unit and I know this, because I've driven them before I bought the one I have....and again since. I still prefer my car because it does what I want it to do and even though I had an original engine lined up to go into this car (if I ever felt the desire to return it to factory specs), I got rid of it after it sat on my workshop floor for 5 years gathering dust. If someone else wants to fit one after I am long gone, then all power to them.
The rebuild cost of a Stag engine in this country (New Zealand) is cost prohibitive in the extreme, being that it is most of the cost of a replacement Stag.....so why would you? Better off to repower it with something as a previous owner did with mine. Unfortunately, with parts for the P76 engine becoming scarce now, I've been thinking about what to repower the beast with when the time comes. You mention 35k GBP - about $70k NZ money - and the asking price of a good Stag in this country is just over half that.....however, as a way to ensure the car is still driven for ANOTHER 50 years and enjoyed by driver, passenger(s) and pedestrians alike, it still appeals. I totally agree with the philosophy that one must be realistic about saving the classics and that it should not be just the people who have squillions of whatever currency available that can do so. All over the world, people have been repowering vehicles with different engines for generations. My father had a Mustang GT's 289 cubic inch V8 shoe-horned into a Mark II Cortina back in the mid-70s and repowered a CF Bedford Jumbo van he'd converted into a campervan with a 3-litre diesel from a Mitsubishi Canter. Spot the number of Model As or Model Ts out there with big V8s and even the humble A30 was given a Holden 186ci straight six by none other than racing driver legend Peter Brock back in the late 60s......so why is it that people get so precious about the Stag?
The Stag was ridiculed as bad - if not worse than - the Austin Allegro back in the day because of the very engine that people are getting upset about. Sure - 50 years have passed and successive generations of owners have figured out what will tame the beast and make it more reliable, but at the end of the day that engine is still fragile due to its inbuilt flaws. Timing chains still have to be changed every 20,000 miles and sometimes give no warning before letting go. The waterpump is still driven off the camshaft and if it seizes, there goes the engine. The waterpump itself is in a place that requires half the engine to be dismantled in order to replace it. The heads still have hot spots and can warp or go porous without warning and when they do, they cannot be fixed, lifters still tick due to bad oil distribution, getting the heads off is still something that requires a herculean amount of patience and effort, people are STILL finding casting sand in the galleries even after they have been cleaned out and / or the engine reconditioned multiple times.......the list goes on and on. All this worry, anxiety and potential angst when she inevitably expires in spontaneous and spectacular fashion and leaves you parked on the side of the road, waiting for the towie, can be eliminated by changing the engine for something more reliable. Can one truly believe that people WANT to endure this madness just to hear a particular sound?? I think not. I believe it is a learned behaviour propagated by purists that anything other than a Stag engine is not good enough for the vehicle.....and that is such a myopic view that it makes me cringe.
What I enjoyed from this film is that the job was done....and done well. It is tasteful, the installation extremely tidy and the Stag itself looks and moves no different to any other. I even like the whine of the electric motor as it sounds so much like first gear in the BW35 automatic gearbox, although if it is as loud inside the cab as we heard it, then it would become wearing after a while. The idea of adding in the boom-box to reproduce the Stag's soundtrack is a stroke of genius and a feature I like very much! For me, the engine burble would have to overpower the motor whine a little more to sound absolutely perfect, but that's a very minor adjustment. I've always wanted an electric car with a motor that mates up to the classic car's manual gearbox for a more fulfilling and authentic experience, although with the torque the motors create, it would probably be introducing an unnecessary point of failure in the system, I think....and possibly reducing the range of the vehicle overall as there is nothing gained by keeping the motor at a higher rev band going up a hill. Having the standard gauges all read something logical and related to the motor's health / performance / output / remaining range would be a must for me too. Two hundred miles - 320km - is still a good range out of a Stag in original form, so I don't see the need to improve that by throwing lots of money at it either - especially at the cost of what little luggage space the Stag has to begin with - and fast charging is a MUCH better option, as this is one of my key reasons for not owning an electric car to begin with. If I can fill my petrol tank in 10 minutes tops and get back on the road, why should I embrace the retrograde step of waiting 90 minutes or more? Forty minutes would give me time to find a cafe, have a cuppa and let the last stop's coffee out again before driving another 320km, so it's not out the question on a long trip.....and any shorter trip just needs me to plug into a power unit at my destination.
It's a great solution to keep great looking cars that would otherwise be sitting around gathering dust out in the public eye where everyone can love them. It has still got to become more mainstream so the pricing is more within the means of the average classic car owner for me, but I do like the idea and am interested to see where this industry is going. Well done to you both. She's a great looking car and way more practical than she was in that you are way more likely to get to your destination without worrying for 99% of the trip whether you will make it.
Hi Kiwistag, thank you for your very informative and thoughtful response we would like to see your classic please post on our facebook page “This is my classic” facebook.com/share/g/ZCTMmRShKT3SYuTi/?mibextid=K35XfP
Love it! I'm biased towards the purist option but if I could afford to convert one of my Stags to this standard, I would.
Good job guys.
Hi Michael, thank you for your comments, yes it has been finished to a high standard and completely reversible
Great to see the detail on this, thanks for the vid.
Four years is a huge commitment but brilliant to see the final result.
Interesting to learn that modern car companies use the same sound system to make their cars sound better. Look forward to hearing the final fitment of your old engine's burble.
Hi Neill, good to hear from you hope to get your episode out in the near future 👍
No hurry, the Spit can't compare with the Stag!
Absolutely love the idea of being able to do this to a classic car !! The Stag had a notorious reputation for overheating and blowing headgaskets back in the day !
If only I'd hung onto my 62 Mini ,62 Ford Classic , 60 Austin Cambridge Farina Morris 1000s by the score !! Any of them would have been marvellous EVd up 😊
Thank you Daniel for getting involved 😊
I have been a Stag owner for 35 years, driving 120,000 miles in that time. 60k in my first Stag, a Mk1 manual, and now 60k in my current Stag, an early Mk2 auto; the last 40k with a home engineered ZF conversion. I would love to have the chance to drive this one rather than dismissing it out of hand. There are plenty of Stags available to suit all tastes and demand, so converting some to EV isn't going to affect supply. It is possible to add a synthetic sound track if you wanted. Fifth gear road tested a new EV recently with that feature. This one has been restored to a fantastic condition, even if the wiper arms are on the wrong side 🙄
Thank you for sharing your comments we’d love to see your Stag please share a picture on our facebook page “This is my classic “ facebook.com/share/g/j1VEF9wX4vXtmNFE/?mibextid=K35XfP
Great video thanks, it takes a lot of passion and money to restore a car so it’s your choice.
Thank you David 👍
Nice conversion. I approve.
Thank you kindly
Well, this is quite a controversial conversion, but I am in favour. The original engines were not brilliant, and there are still plenty of Stags around with various engines fitted. I can appreciate the superb restoration work and the way that it could be retro fitted back to original if desired.
The range and charging figures are quite impressive!
I love the exhaust sound system idea!
I think Les has done a really good job here.
Thumbs up from me! 👍
Thank you Robert for sharing a respectful opinion
The Stag has one of the most mellifluous exhaust notes of any car, ever. Why anyone would want to turn such a lovely sounding car into a milk float is beyond me.
You make brilliant points about swapping engines, the Buick 215CI was always the first choice. EV is the next choice as ICE is dead. I've owned two Stags, a mk1 and and a mk2. Mk1 was an auto which ruined the drive due to slow changing and plenty of slip. Manual car was great but I thought that the better ride was the auto. With this conversion you get both. Lovely car :)
Welcome to the channel Crazed Crittic , do you still own a classic ?
@@Classiccarstories yes I have a 62' Ford Fairlane, a 1977 Midget and a 2001 BMW X5, one owner, full history.. also got a Tesla Model 3 but we can keep that off the topic for conversation :)
@@CrazedCrittic would love to see the classics would you like to post them on our Facebook page “This is my classic” facebook.com/share/g/ZCTMmRShKT3SYuTi/?mibextid=K35XfP
Very interesting and something I would love to do...a question to Les - did you consider a small Tesla motor replacing the rear diff?
I will pass on the message
@@Classiccarstories Hi Gary, I'm not sure of the exact torque or top speed of a Tesla motor, but it's very likely it wouldn't directly match up with the original differential. The original Stag engine worked through a gearbox, and while it is transparent to the driver, the electric motor also connects to a step-down transmission.
Electric motors can rev up to 10,000 RPM, and some even as high as 20,000 RPM-much higher than the typical 4,000 to 6,000 RPM of an internal combustion engine (ICE). To maintain the car's integrity, I think the best approach is to retain as much of the original running gear as possible. In the Stag, the motor is positioned just ahead of where the original transmission used to be. The new step-down gearbox is much smaller, as it only uses a fixed single gear, and the output connects directly to the propshaft.
It is OK to put an electric motor in for example a FIAT 500 but not a Stag. What a total waste of effort. Also BEVs is not the long term solution.
Great video. I'm really torn - I have a Stag and I love the engine. I guess if I could afford a second Stag with the electric conversion it would be great to have one that was 100% reliable that I could use for longer trips and as a daily driver. I'd avoid the fake sound though - it's an electric conversion - celebrate it for what it is now, not what it was before. The fake sound indicates regret!
Hello Tom, welcome to the channel thank you for sharing your comments we’d love to see your stag could you post a picture on our Facebook page?
Here’s the link facebook.com/share/g/qHELGPXQjJHfuHLs/?mibextid=K35XfP
I quite like the finished result, having that V8 sound in the background is nice, but hate that whirring sound of the motor, or whatever part is making that sound, eliminate that then I would give it the thumbs up !
Hi Colin, yes agree there has been a little issue with the gear box and this has now been sorted since filming
@@Classiccarstories Excellent news, definitely a thumbs up then, it looked so beautiful in the last clip of the video when it was driving away to the wedding, I think white suits a Stag so well, and those wheels were sparkling, they have aged so well in my opinion, still look modern, amazing job !
@@Colin623 thank you Colin will pass on to Les
That is a LOT of money to spend on destroying the sound and character of a great classic car! That original V8 has a beautiful sound! It is an integral part of the character of this car. Having the Stag drive along, sounding like a giant hair-dryer is just sad.
The future........OMG is oil going to run out tomorrow... if thats the future I want no part of it ... but it isn't so that's fine
The missing sound of the V8 is too much for me....sorry
Hi Robert , thanks for commenting
A Very big NO from Canada
Fair enough
Sorry not for the Stag purists like puting a digital face on Big Ben
Thank you for commenting
As the unfortunate owner of a Stag in the 80s, I would prefer any motor than the crock of shit it came with😉
Oh dear , how sad , no V8 burble , should have bought a Tesla instead of destroying a nice classic !
Neil, as a small consolation the electric drive system, eg. motor, batteries uses the original engine/transmission mounting points and is fully reversible. The new system sits in a custom built subframe.
Oh dear, how sad, no manners, should have bought an Emily Post book instead of wasting everyone's time!
Shame on you
Get a life mate he can do what he likes with his car.
Time to find a hobby that is productive, carfan7727