This 1971 Triumph Stag has been in dry storage for many years in California. It appears to be solid, but is going to need to be gone through before it can be driven safely. The engine has been swapped out to improve reliability and we bet it doesn’t hurt the performance either. If a Stag is good enough for James, it’s good enough for us. Find it here in eBay where bidding is currently at $459.
At some point the original V8 was swapped out for this Chevrolet unit. It is currently not running, but the seller has fired it up with some carb cleaner and claims it ran well. You will still need to clean up the fuel system and replace all the fluids and consumables. The Triumph V8 had some issues so the change to Chevy power makes sense. Hopefully the swap was well done and can be made to run again without too much hassle.
There is some minor corrosion underneath and the hood is the wrong color, but otherwise the body looks good. The seller suspects that the paint is original and we cant find any reason to disagree. The soft-top is shot, but luckily the factory hardtop is included.
The best aspect of this Stag could be the interior. The seats look great and we love to see that shift knob sticking out of the four-speed transmission. Most of these cars were sold with automatics, so the manual is a pleasant surprise. We do wonder which tranny is under that tunnel. For that matter, we wonder what engine is under the hood. Hopefully this Stag can be made to run again because we think the swap could make it even better than it already was!
I cannot stand when people put things like “James Bond Car” in the their listing to drum up bids. I wonder if the screwdriver in the left rear brake drum comes with it? LOL
Maybe it’s James Bond’s screwdriver?
It would make a great classic beater. Repair everything and make it safe. Paint the hood, spend some time cut polishing the rest.of the body. I would remove all braces of the soft top and install the hardtop permanently and drive it until it needed attention again.
“I would remove all braces of the soft top and install the hardtop permanently and drive it until it needed attention again.”
….or 15 minutes, whichever comes first.
This car could end up being a lot of fun. Needless to say you will wage a long battle with Lucas the Prince of Darkness before you see the light. I still see this one as worthwhile if you have time to tinker.
This looks like the solution to the Stag V8 engine problems, and it could be a fun beater for not much $$$, as William & Robert said.
The clear title is an important plus but a big question is what transmission is in it, since the SBC might make a bit more torque than the TR V8 did, especially if it’s a 327 as the seller believes.
Just be sure the Chevy alternator, regulator and fuel pump are installed and that your insurance Co. is OK with the SBC before you buy. Oh yeah…and that the screwdriver comes in the deal.
You’ll probably be the only person on your block with one.
I’m at the point where a “Chevy V8” isn’t even a plus in a Chevy.