With a variety of sports cars and a successful roadster, Triumph was in a good position to launch a four-seater luxury convertible.

The Stag had Italian style, hard and soft covers, lots of accessories and a newly designed V8 under the hood.

On paper, it was more than a match for rivals like the Mercedes SL - but the theory failed to take into account the engineering problems, poor production and industrial disputes that plagued the British auto industry in the 1970s.

The complex V8 engine constantly broke down, usually terminally, and the car became virtually impossible to sell. As a result, only 25,877 examples were produced before the Stag was finally brought down in 1977. Despite all that, today it is a collector's car.

Tweet