The Triumph Stag took the traditional two seater platform favoured by British sports cars of the time and added two extra seats and a touch of luxury that would allow it to compete with its continental rivals.

Introduced in 1970, with a design from Italian creative Giovanni Michelotti, the Stag had the inauspicious task of trying to take on the Mercedes-Benz SL range, which had already covered the luxury sports car market so comprehensively.

While the Stag was initially offered as a convertible with a structure-securing roll bar, it turned out that hardtop covers were so popular as an option amongst early buyers that it would eventually go on to include this in its standard retail package.

Initially the Triumph 2000 was used as the grounding for the Stag, but by the time the production model was completed these two vehicles were not closely related in terms of aesthetic design.

On its launch the press was positive about the Stag, although engine issues with the V8 meant that it did get something of a bad reputation in the early days. Part of the problem was that at the time there was not enough cash floating around at British Leyland to actually improve the engine's design or fix any of the regular faults.

This meant that it was left to industrious individuals rather than the company itself to come up with solutions. This has in part allowed the Stag to build up a following of enthusiasts who accept it for its technical flaws and in fact relish the chance to address them and turn it into the car that it could and should have been.

In the UK alone it is estimated that 9000 of the original 25,877 Stags that were originally produced are still kept in working order. This is a testament to the enduring popularity of this Triumph model and when the engine is working smoothly it still offers good performance and plenty of luxury, allowing it to be recognised as a classic long after production originally halted back in 1977, which might surprise people who were aware of its reputation at the time.