Make: Triumph
Model: Stag
Year: 1974
Registration: GNT 566M

Sellers original description:

A truly exceptional 1974 Triumph Stag Mark 2 Automatic.

Effectively one Lady owner from new and just 45,300 miles supported by one of the most comprehensive and meticulous service history's that we have ever seen.

Always cherished and kept garaged the car is today remarkably, if fact amazingly, rust free and is presented in stunning original condition.

Never structurally welded and retaining all of its factory fitted panels and glass.

All original interior.

Retaining its original engine and with the added benefit of a factory Hard Top, Sundym glass and Light Alloy Wheels.

JUST GORGEOUS!

The Triumph Stag was launched in June 1970 and immediately created a favourable impression with buyers, who were quite literally smitten by its simple beauty and its gorgeous engine note with accompanying exhaust 'woofle'.
The Stag opened up new markets for British Leyland – the company was well served with both Triumph and MG sports cars, but the Stag was something else again: a 4 seat grand tourer. Essentially, the Stag created a market niche and although it was phased out in 1977 after a production run of just 25,877, it is still viewed as the quintessential British “classic” sports car.

Even before production ceased the Triumph Stag was regarded to be a classic - it had everything: looks, power, a sound to die for, and a certain sector of the market all to itself. Within the space of a few short years, it picked up a cult following, and remains today one of the most iconic classics of the time.
The following for the Stag remains stronger than ever with many owners clubs and parts specialist ensuring an amazingly high survival rate for the car with restored, or so called restored, examples being plentiful.
As with most classics though it is the un-restored original examples that are the rarest and hardest to find, they are the most sort after and consequently these are the cars that are most highly prized by the few owners lucky enough to own one.
Even leading Stag specialists say that in their opinion an original car is always the best option.
It is over thirty years now since the last true Triumph, excluding the Honda based Acclaim, left the production lines. Stag prices have risen lately and those in the know are predicting that Triumph's in General are set to take a huge leap, up to three times current prices, in value over the coming years. We think few will rise more so than good original un-restored Stag's

GNT 566M

In late spring 1974 a loaded transporter left the Triumph works at Canley Coventry heading towards the West Country. Amongst the various Triumph models it carried was a Leyland White Stag with hard top, Sundym Glass, automatic transmission and Light Alloy Wheels.

The Stag was destined for a Devon Dealer. In the next four decades it would only ever leave the County again once.

In May 1974 the husband of the first owner of GNT 566M, A Doctor, visited Dutton Forshaw (Torbay) Ltd in Babbacombe Road Torquay. The purpose of his visit was to order the above mentioned brand new Triumph Stag for his wife who at the time was 66 years old.

GNT 566M was first registered in the Doctors name on the 17th of June 1974 with his wife's cherished registration number. She was absolutely delighted and instantly fell in love with the car.

The owner drove her new Stag away from the Dealer to her home some 7 or so miles away near Brixham. That evening it was safely parked in the double garage attached to the house. It spent every single night there for the next 39 years, without exception. We collected it from the very same house now belonging to the owners Son, also a Doctor but now retired.

GNT 566M was its new owners absolute pride and Joy she cared for and about the Stag with a total passion. Although registered in her husband's name the car was most defiantly hers, in fact her son can only recall his Father ever once driving the Stag which was that one and only time that it left Devon when his parents had to visit Birmingham for the day.

GNT 566M was used regularly by its fastidious owner in and around Brixham. Her son recalls just how much his mother loved the exhaust note - amplified in the narrow Devon lanes. He also tells us that, much to his mothers dismay, all of the use the car had was with the Hard top in place. His parents were unable to remove it without his help and he can only recall doing this once for them. Having put the hood up his mother decided that it was not something she could do on her own so he refitted the hard top again.

The owner made sure that the car was serviced exactly as per the manufacturers instruction. No expense was spared and every single piece of paperwork relating to the car was meticulously kept and filed.

In all there are two full A4 lever arch files. Every service invoice form its first at 994 miles in the Autumn of 1974 to the last in 2009. The file contains around 120 invoices for service and maintenance totalling in excess of £14,000 in all.

Early invoices are from the supplying dealer and other BL dealers. Later ones are from other franchise dealers as BL dealers no longer existed. Since the turn of the century invoices are from a local BMW dealer and one of the final invoices from them which shows the mileage at 45,327 reports that "on road test no faults found on the vehicle". The mileage now is 45,399.

The invoices detail everything that has been done and form a superb history trail. From removal of the 8 track player and its replacement with a Panasonic cassette player (still present) to the important things you will be keen to know have been attended to when buying a Stag.

Those important things being amongst others no invoice that mentions any trace of overheating ever. We list here just the important routine maintenance carried out in the past 500 miles or so. Timing chains replaced, head gaskets replaced and heads refaced, radiator replaced, converted to run on unleaded, new stainless steel exhaust (the stickers are even still new) new luminition ignition kit and the carburettors overhauled by a specialist. This work alone was totalled £2,522.

In 1980 the owner registered the Stag in own her name.

As the owner aged use of the Stag became less although maintenance continued. By the early nineties with the owner now in her 80's the MOT's in the file show just a few hundred miles a year which was soon to decrease even further with only the journeys for MOT's and service adding to them.

When the owner became unable to drive she would not let her beloved Triumph Stag be sold and insisted that her son should continue to have the car looked after - which of course he did and is why maintenance continued until recent years even though the mileage hardly rose at all.

Sadly, last year the owner died, she was 104.

Title past to the owners son and he shows on the registration document at the same address as his mother and his father before that.

Her family decided to part with the car but retain her cherished registration number and the Stag was issued with an age related plate earlier this year.

GNT 566M is an absolute credit to its owner is presented in fantastic original condition and has covered a genuine 45,400 miles from new.

BODYWORK:

GNT 566M is remarkably rust free and original. All of the usual problem areas are excellent. The floors under the carpets not rusty, nor is the boot floor or the hood storage compartment.

The car retains all of its original panels.

In the mid eighties whilst parked at the kerb side in Brixham the Stag was damaged down one side by a council worker on foot carrying a ladder.

The owner who was in the car at the time was, as you can imagine, terribly upset. The damage was eventually repaired at the Councils expense though not to a standard that the owner was at all happy with. Her son tells us that there was just a slight variance in colour between the new and the old paint finish but his mother just could not bear to live with it.

In early 1988, with his mother insisting that the job 'be done right' this time, the owners son took the Stag to one of the county's leading coach builders in Exeter. Even though they were approved Porsche body repairers they were unable to 100% guarantee that if they just repainted the area previously painted that it would be a completely perfect match to the original paint. "You really need to repaint the whole car if you want a perfect job" they said. "Do it then" said the owner.

An estimate which details the work including removing the bumpers, lights, mouldings, door handles, rubbers etc and rubbing down the entire vehicle before undercoating, applying primer and top coat is in the file. The owner also wanted a small area of rust attended on one wing - "so that it will not come back". The only sure way to do that said the body shop is to cut it out and let in new metal. "Do it then" said the owner again. They were right - it did the trick twenty five years later there is not the slightest sign of the rust reappearing or of the repair for that matter.

With the estimate is a work shop job sheet that lists parts and consumables used in the respray. Even down to the number of sanding discs, pop rivets, how much gun wash was used etc is listed. It is noteworthy that no body filler is listed - because in fact none was used.

The work done in 1988 cost £1465, nearly £4,000 at today's prices. It was carried out to a high standard and a quarter of a century later still looks fantastic.

A couple of small localised blow ins have been done since the repaint as a result of parking mishaps but the vast majority of the paint finish is 25 years old.

There has never been any welding done to any part of the underside and none is required.

Boot, and door shuts are in fantastic condition.

There is the odd stone chip and mark here and there that has been touched in with a touch up brush.

Chrome work is also in excellent original condition with no dents or splits.

The hood is the original factory fitted (there is date of manufacture tag still attached hood label 14.5.1974) and as we say has only been up once so is in outstanding condition with no rips or tears, the rear screen has not cracked has no distortion and has not discoloured at all. The inner lining is fawn and unmarked.

The hard top was repainted with the rest of the car in 1988 and had a new genuine headlining fitted then which remains in as new condition. The lower chrome trim below the nearside rear window is a little loose and most likely could do with new clips.

INTERIOR:

The interior is in fantastic original condition.

The desirable blue trim contrasts so much better with the white exterior than chestnut or black and was only available on early cars.

The Ambla front and back seats front are virtually unmarked with just a couple of small splits to the piping on the outer edge of the driver's seat.

The factory fitted carpets have been covered from new in the footwells and are excellent with just a little fading and one or two finger nail sized losses of tufting.

The wood veneer on the dash and centre consul is unmarked and as new as is the dash top and, correct, steering wheel.

The original door trims are excellent and have not been cut for radio speakers.

There are no rips or marks to the rest of the trim.

Correct for the Stag and in matching trim colour Radiomobile speakers were fitted in the rear cubby holes with the original stereo 8 they now remain with the Panasonic cassette player which has a switched electric aerial.

All of the knobs and switches are excellent and everything tested works as it should.

UNDER THE BONNET:

The engine bay as you may expect is exceptionally clean with original stickers still in place.

Nothing under the bonnet was touched during the respray and the paint finish looked as though it had yellowed in places so we got our body shop just to tidy it up a little.

Original sound deadening still in place.

IN THE BOOT:

The generous sized boot is, again, in excellent condition with no tears, stains or marks to the black carpet trim.

Original factory fitted hardboard.

Tool kit in original bag.

Plug spanner in Red Triumph bag.

Original alloy spare.

Boot floor in rust free condition.

ON THE ROAD:

The car starts on the button with manual choke - and that oh so fantastic sound.

On the road the car drives like a dream, you just can’t help loving it -just so proper!

The engine pulls well and the gear box changes up and down through the gears and kicks down just as it should.

The suspension is firm and tight and the power steering tight and precise.

You cannot fail to enjoy driving this Stag everything from the driving position onwards has just the best classic feel.

HISTORY FILE:

1. V5c (logbook) shows 2 former keepers all at the same address.
2. MOT April 2014
3. Correct plastic wallet which is unmarked with hand book in its correct plastic cover, Triumph sales and service distributor book, instructions for the Panasonic cassette player and the old 8 track player, triumph club literature passport to service book with stamps.
4. 33 Old MOT’s.
5. most old tax discs
6. Various service, maintenance and parts invoices over 130 in all
7. Original and second log books
8. original order form and invoice.
9. local authority paper work back to 1975 and DVLA paperwork.
10. every insurance cover note and paperwork back to the seventies

SUMMARY:

If you are looking for an original un-restored Stag, with low mileage you will already know that you have your work cut out. However, if what you really want is one that has covered less than 46,000 miles with just effectively just 1 Lady owner from new then you will also know that, up until now, you have had an impossible task.

There are plenty of so called restored Stags around some good of course, the majority though - well absolutely horrendous. As we say even the Stag specialists that sell the good restored examples acknowledge that you just can’t beat a good original example they also know that it is the original cars that will not only hold their value but appreciate.

GNT 566M has had a cosmetic repaint 25 years ago as the result of the most minor of mishaps. Scarcely any bodywork was done at that time and none has been done since, if any had it would certainly be showing signs of such by now.

This is a very exceptional Triumph Stag indeed. It has been cared for without regard to cost by a loving owner and there is indisputable written evidence of this in the huge history files present with the car that catalogue every piece of paperwork issued since it was new. It was not only garaged, but in the kept in the same garage since new. It has never been left out overnight since new.

Photos:

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