Stag brothers

Sir,

I own a 1973 Triumph Stag with a 4-speed transmission. Like almost every Stag owner I have spoken to, I had a lot of grief with my engine. Overheating of the engine and frequently leaking cylinder head gaskets seems to be a very common experience for many of us Stag owners since no Stags have been imported into the US since 1973, this model car is not very popular here. Therefore, acceptable repair service is hard to find. This fact, along with my fondness for my Stag, creates some kind of dilemma. I am sure other Stag owners are ” in the same boat”.

I have considered several alternatives to solve my problem, none of which I like. Before I do anything drastic, I am asking Motor Sport to ask their readers for advice. Perhaps there is someone in this world who has a simple, sure-fire answer. The people here who are supposed to know, i.e. the Triumph service organisation, admit that the Stag V8 overheating and cylinder head gasget problem is inherent with the design of the engine, and that this deficiency is the reason why Triumph is not selling the car any Longer in the US. I myself find this hard to believe although we have had “lemons” here too.

If any of your readers knows of a “fix” I would appreciate hearing about it. In turn, I would do my best in helping to prevent Stags from becoming extinct in North America. They are on the list of endangered species already. Let’s save them!

Washington, USA. H. J. WIBMER

[May Engineering’s idea (See Motor Sport August) is to substitute a Rover V8 engine, but perhaps readers can suggest less radical modifications to Mr. Wibmer?]