The Car / Year by year

Triumph Stag year by year, 1970 to 1977

The Triumph Stag was built from 1970 to 1977. Cars from 1970 to 1972 are known as the Mk1; the Mk2 arrived in January 1973, and alloy wheels became standard from October 1975. The V8 and the body shell carried on throughout, so most year to year changes are trim and detail.

Many changes came in mid-term rather than at model year breaks, and final assembly order did not always follow body build order, so treat the dates below as a guide and date a particular car by its commission number. See identification, originality, specifications and colours and paint codes.

1969: Before launch

Development

No Stags were sold in 1969. The car was being readied for launch about two years later than first planned, because Triumph chose to wait for its own V8 rather than launch with the straight six.
By June 1968 the decision had been made to concentrate development on the V8, enlarged to 2,997 cc by increasing the bore rather than the stroke.
The colour records on this site start with builds in March 1970. Pre-production cars carry low LD commission numbers within Sanction 1.

1970: Launch

Mk1

The Stag was launched to UK and European markets on 9 June 1970, with the 2,997 cc overhead camshaft V8 giving 145 bhp.
It came with a T-bar roll-over hoop, a soft top, a hardtop or both, power steering and electric windows. A four-speed manual, with optional overdrive, and a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic were offered from the start.
Mk1 details: steel wheels with chrome Rostyle-style trims with black centres, a fully colour-coded body with no coachlines, and a soft top with rear quarter windows.
Cars built from 1970 to 1971 fall in Sanction 1, commission numbers 1 to 3900.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1970: New White (19), Laurel (55), Royal (56), Signal (32), Damson (17), Saffron (54), Sienna (23). From the factory colour records.

1971: America, and the first running changes

Mk1 · 3,901 built

The US press introduction took place at Palm Springs, California, on 26 March 1971, and the Stag was announced to the American public in April 1971.
The air filter moved to the radiator-duct type at engine no. LF 2217 E (September 1971).
The 20 psi cooling system, with the pressure cap on the overflow bottle, came in at commission no. LD 10195 (November 1971 build).
Sanction 2, commission numbers 10001 to 14158, began for the 1972 model year.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1971: New White (19), Laurel (55), Royal (56), Signal (32), Damson (17), Saffron (54), Sienna (23), Jasmine (34), Sapphire (96), Pimento (72). From the factory colour records.

1972: Sanction 2, and the last Mk1s

Mk1 · 4,504 built

Sanction 2 cars carry the earlier air filter and cooling changes, which is why the informal name Mk 1.5 is sometimes used for them.
Federal cars for the USA carry the LE prefix on commission and engine numbers from about 1972; the earliest US cars carry LD.
LD 20001, the first Sanction 3 car, was built on 17 October 1972, while the last Sanction 2 car was built on 10 November 1972.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1972: New White (19), Laurel (55), Damson (17), Saffron (54), Sienna (23), Jasmine (34), Sapphire (96), Pimento (72), Emerald (65), Mallard (106), French Blue (126), Mimosa (64), Magenta (92). From the factory colour records.

1973: The Mk2

Mk2 · 5,508 built

Sanction 3 cars, commission numbers 20001 to 25443, were available to the public from January 1973.
Changes included a matt black tail panel and sills, body coachlines, steel wheels with all-chrome trims as standard, GKN alloy wheels as an extra-cost option, revised instruments, new seats, a hood without rear quarter windows and a slightly smaller steering wheel. Tinted Sundym glass was standard from the start of Mk2 build.
From October 1973 the door locks changed from a latch plate to a latch loop in the B-post, and hazard lights were added with a dashboard switch and warning lamp.
The Stag was withdrawn from the US market in 1973. The change from BW to A in the commission number suffix for automatics happened gradually during late 1973 and early 1974.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1973: New White (19), Sienna (23), Sapphire (96), Pimento (72), Emerald (65), Mallard (106), French Blue (126), Mimosa (64), Magenta (92), Carmine (82), Maple (73 and 83). From the factory colour records.

1974: Sanction 4

Mk2 · 3,442 built

Sanction 4, commission numbers 30001 to 36714, covered the 1974 and 1975 model years.
The door catch change of October 1973 belongs to the 1974 model year, so it is a Mk2 detail, not a Mk 1.5 one.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1974: New White (19), Sapphire (96), Pimento (72), Emerald (65), Mallard (106), French Blue (126), Mimosa (64), Magenta (92), Carmine (82), Maple (73 and 83), Java (85), Delft (136), Topaz (84). From the factory colour records.

1975: Alloy wheels standard

Mk2 · 2,898 built

From October 1975, around LD 40001 and the start of Sanction 5, GKN alloy wheels became standard and wheel trims were no longer fitted.
The black tail panel was dropped for a body-colour one, and alloy sill covers replaced the bright trim sill strip.
A revised radiator was fitted from trim no. T36373, the start of the 1976 model year.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1975: New White (19), Pimento (72), French Blue (126), Mimosa (64), Carmine (82), Maple (73 and 83), Java (85), Delft (136), Topaz (84), British Racing Green (75). From the factory colour records.

1976: Sanction 5, and the Type 65 automatic

Mk2

Sanction 5, commission numbers 40001 to 45722, covered the 1976 and 1977 model years.
The Type 65 was fitted to all automatics from commission no. LD 41994. US exports had ended by late 1973, well before that point, so US Federal (LE) cars all had the Type 35.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1976: New White (19), Pimento (72), French Blue (126), Mimosa (64), Carmine (82), Maple (73 and 83), Java (85), Delft (136), Topaz (84), British Racing Green (75), Russet (93), Inca (94), Tahiti (146). From the factory colour records.

1977: The end of production

Mk2 · about 1,800 built

From March 1977 new colours used three letter codes in place of Triumph number codes.
The Stag went out of production on 24 June 1977. AROnline's yearly history gives the total as 25,939, and the Stag Owners Club agrees; other sources give 25,877.
Price lists show a soft top model and a hard and soft top model to 1977; the factory hardtop was never standard.

Paint colours with builds recorded in 1977: New White (19), Pimento (72), Carmine (82), Java (85), British Racing Green (75), Russet (93), Inca (94), Tahiti (146), Flamenco (CAD), Brooklands (95 and HAE). From the factory colour records.

Triumph Stag year questions

What years was the Triumph Stag made?: From 1970 to 1977. It was launched in the UK on 9 June 1970 and went out of production on 24 June 1977. No Stags were sold in 1969.
Which years are Mk1 and which are Mk2?: Mk1 covers the 1970 to 1972 model years, to LD 14158. Mk2 starts at LD 20001, with cars available to the public from January 1973, and runs to 1977. Both names are enthusiast terms coined after production ended.
When did the Stag get alloy wheels as standard?: From October 1975, around LD 40001. GKN alloys had been an extra-cost option on the Mk2 from 1973.
How do I tell what year my Stag is?: Read the commission number on the plate on the left-hand door shut pillar and compare it with the sanction ranges, then confirm with a Heritage Certificate. The registration date can be later than the build date.

Sources: the change points and sanction ranges on this site's originality and identification pages; launch, production and end dates from history and development and the Triumph company history; yearly production from AROnline (1971 to 1973) and the Stag Owners Club (1974 to 1977); US dates from the US Federal guide. No calendar date is given for the Type 65 change, which is a commission number changeover.