At one point during the mid 1970s, the Triumph Stag and
Jaguar’s XJ-S shared the same showroom space and a well-heeled, middle class
semi-detached suburban Mr James after a suave GT, with cash burning a large
hole in his wallet during those inflation hit times, had a choice of
sorts; spend $15,123.51on the all new V12 Jaguar or half that on a sporty V8
Triumph that, after promising so much, was coming to the end of a rather
disappointing and troubled life.
Fast forward some 40 years and it’s the Stag that’s enjoying
classic car stardom rather than that E-type replacement that still can’t make
the same leap, even though it was one of Browns Lane’s most successful models
in terms of sales.
Stag cabin was
always inviting and there’s fair room in the back, better than an XJ-S. Roofs
can be noisy
Let’s face it, this pair are a couple of old middle-aged
smoothies still up for a bit of pulling and ideal for owners of a similar
nature who want to go touring rather than tearing around.
Which One To Buy? - More Choice With The Jag
Both are entirely orthodox designs dating back to the 1960s,
relying on saloon car underpinnings; with the Stag it’s the 2000/2.5Pi while
the XJ-S used a cut-down XJ6 platform. Both can be had in closed coupé or
cabrio form – the difference being that the Stag is both, care of a classy if
cumbersome hard top which is so heavy that many owners simply left them in the
garage or employed them as capacious cold frames for the garden. The Stag only
came in a singleton V8 form although as we all know, a variety of engines –
from the Ford V4 and V6 to the Rover V8 – were gainfully employed during the
car’s formative years due to spectacular failures of that power unit.
Vast majority of
Stags were auto and it suits the car’s character well
In contrast, Jaguar has used a cluster of engines over the
years. Initially it was a V12 ( although why the XK 4.2 was never offered as an
option to satisfy a broader audience we’ll never know) before a brace of
straight sixes came on stream rather late in the day 30 years ago. Apart from a
Mk2 Stag for 1973, Triumph did as little as it could get away with once the
lucrative US market said “No thanks!”.
Jaguar nearly killed off the XJ-S in the early 1980s due to
dire sales but stuck with it and the big cat progressively got better and
better, especially after a substantial facelift in 1991 plus the advent of,
first a curious-looking cabriolet, before the proper convertible was
produced.
Both cars were mainly sold as automatics, which suits their
character well. Jaguar did provide a five-speed manual for the
six-cylinder versions while Triumph offered an optional overdrive which was
effectively a six-speed gearbox.
Cockpit only needs a small steering wheel, rev counter
plus oil pressure and cooler gauges
What’s best? Well in terms of stature, the Stag wins hands
down and has gone from zero to hero thanks to a brilliant army of specialists
and owners clubs that combined have made it a better car than it’s ever been
and what Triumph should have churned out in the first place!
The XJ-S has been fighting a rearguard battle for 40
years, blighted by the fact it wasn’t ‘the new E-type’ plus also those odd
looks hardly helping. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that… but we
can’t help but think that the Jag’s shape, while never in fashion, has never
gone out either and has mellowed well. The Triumph, on the other hand, has
always been a head turner; understated but stylish, if slightly ‘nose heavy’?
That unique roof T bar adds rigidity and to the looks, we reckon, although many
still don’t like the Stag’s scaffolding.
