| Make: | Triumph |
| Model: | Stag |
| Year: | 1974 |
| Registration: | UPH 307 M |
| Sequence: | 4th |
| Date bought: | 11th August 1986 |
| Date sold: | 3rd May 2002 |
| Comments: | I feel like I had owned this car forever. |
At the Stag Owners Club National Day at Longleat House. 23rd July 1988
I bought the Triumph on 9th August 1986 for £2200. I was 19 at the time.
The car was Pimentio red with black trim and roof. There was an amount of visible body rust, but the mechanics appeared okay. However a gearbox rebuild in the first month due to a stripped reverse gear, and a engine rebuild two months later took quite some sorting out. I seem to remember a broke diff too :-(
A faulty electronic ignition system, which meant the car would not restart when warm, was frustrating for me and the AA. Other than the carb diaphragms letting go, which meant the journey home was done at about 4mpg, the car was a pleasure.
Of course a there were always things to replace, and fix, but the car was great fun.
It was about 15 months after purchase, that I decided to take the car off the road for a body restoration. A friend insisted that a colour change to black would be a good idea, so black it was.
I did most of the preparation for the body rebuild to save money. The restoration took approximately eight months, and the car was back on the road in July 1988. I had was was effectively a fully restored Triumph Stag, just two years after buying what seemed like a sound car !!
The car was kept MOT'd and used occasionally until 1995. By this time the front suspension required a rebuild.
Much work was done on the car between 1995 and 2002. But a major house move, marriage, two kids and a passion for off-roading meant the car was never returned to the road during my ownership.
The car is to be sold in April 2002, and will probably only take a little concerted effort, and a bit of money to return it to regular service.
© Andrew Marshallsay 2008