1977 Triumph Stag Convertible

Combining Italian style from the pen of designer Giovanni Michelotti with traditional British craftsmanship, the Triumph Stag was a luxury sports car with seating for four adults and an unusual T-bar convertible roof arrangement. The heart of the Stag was a new single overhead camshaft V8 motor, essentially two Dolomite units with a common crankshaft, delivering a healthy 145 bhp at 5500 rpm from 3-litres and the vast majority were fitted with Borg Warner automatics. Launched in 1970, the Stag immediately drew praise for the novel folding roof, very well appointed interior and effortless performance but a tendency to overheat gave the early models a bad reputation. Triumph worked hard to sort out the problems and released a Mark 2 version in 1973 with updated trim and alloy wheels - in the years that followed, marque specialists have largely cured the inherent cooling problems. With the Seventies now very much back in vogue, Stag ownership has never been more rewarding and the model has a healthy following in Australia, with plenty of support from clubs and Triumph specialists around the country.