Triumph Stag vs Ford Mustang Convertible: unlikely rivals?

By Simon Hucknall

| 30 Sep 2026

Classic & Sports Car – Triumph Stag vs Ford Mustang Convertible: unlikely rivals

For Triumph, sales success in the USA at the start of the 1970s wasn’t a nice-to-have, it was imperative.

Pricing its new Stag at a bullish $5773 at the Palm Springs dealer launch in March 1971 was a leap of faith when Ford’s homegrown Mustang Convertible could be had for as little as $3322.

Equally, when Ford USA officially introduced the Mustang to British buyers the previous autumn, it too sold at a heavy premium (partly due to swingeing Purchase Tax), costing £3188 versus the UK Stag’s £2260.

The Ford Mustang launched the ‘pony car’ genre

Did Ford care if the Mustang didn’t sell like hot cakes over here? Likely not – it was merely gilding the lily, when sales of its European domestic products were so buoyant.

But while the two companies’ commercial objectives differed radically back then, today we’re left with two V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2 soft-top tourers offering distinctive takes on a very similar theme.

The Stag’s story started in 1964, after stylist Giovanni Michelotti asked engineering chief Harry Webster for a 2000 saloon he could use as a base for a future show car.

Webster agreed, on condition that, if the car showed promise, Triumph would get first refusal.

The Triumph Stag kept its project name for production

During one of his subsequent visits to Michelotti’s Turin studio, Webster saw that the well-used 2000 engineering hack had evolved into a two-door, four-seat convertible, its overall dimensions unchanged from the donor.

He was bowled over, and immediately saw its potential to take Triumph into an upmarket arena.

Scuppering Michelotti’s plans to show the car, Webster took the concept to the board in 1966 and received approval to develop the project; even though the car had been presented in a basic form, it already had the look of something that could take the fight to Mercedes’ W113 Pagoda SL.

But Triumph’s laudable ambition to bring the new car to market by 1968 – and at a highly competitive £1500 – looked shaky from the off.

The Triumph Stag’s T-bar roof adds stiffness

Parent Leyland Motors was on the brink of purchasing Rover, which was distraction enough, but when it merged with British Motor Holdings and Jaguar to create the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) a year after that, the project was delayed further.

Upsetting continuity, Webster left Triumph for Austin-Morris in the new regime and was replaced by Rover’s Spen King. Corporate shenanigans aside, Project Stag faced two challenges.

First, it was unclear if US safety regulations would put the kibosh on all new convertibles sold in that market (which is why Triumph developed a substantial T-bar for the production car, along with – initially – an optional, removable hardtop).

Then there was the engine.

The Triumph Stag’s overhead-cam V8 can be made reliable today

Triumph’s Lewis Dawtrey had planned a new family of overhead-cam motors in 1963, including a 90° V8 that comprised two slant-fours operating on a common crank.

The ‘fours’ would later be used in the Dolomite and TR7, as well as Saab’s forthcoming 99, but for the Stag – after some corporate to and fro – a V8 was seen as a vital weapon in the new model’s armoury.

Initially conceived to displace 2.5 litres, the iron-block unit with alloy heads was eventually raised to 2997cc by increasing the bore, but shortening the stroke, giving an oversquare 86x64.5mm.

The Triumph Stag (left) and Ford Mustang Convertible offered different takes on four-seat V8 motoring, from opposite sides of the Atlantic

King was unconvinced by the reliability of Lucas’ mechanical fuel injection, so twin Zenith-Stromberg carburettors were used in production.

The elephant in the room remained Rover’s newly acquired, ex-Buick 3.5-litre V8, an all-alloy, overhead-valve unit that was about to be put into service in its P5B.

With Triumph and Rover now part of the same family, logic should have dictated that the proven, lightweight motor be used by both marques.

But it wasn’t to be: Triumph persisted with its own V8, which would help to tarnish the model’s reputation in the early days.

The Triumph Stag’s twin pipes emit a cultured burble

Meanwhile, the Stag’s body was taking shape.

While the Mk1 2000’s front MacPherson struts and rear semi-trailing arms remained (albeit with stiffer springs), the wheelbase was shortened and a redesigned nose and tail were added, which would later reappear on the Mk2 2000.

Pressed Steel was initially in the frame to build the car’s bodies, but it soon became clear that it would be overwhelmed by producing both 2000s and Stags.

In the end, German firm Karmann made the production tooling, after which panels were stamped out by Triumph’s new factory in Speke, Merseyside, with final assembly taking place in Canley, Coventry.

Giovanni Michelotti turned the Triumph 2000 saloon into a striking soft-top

After driving Ian Collier’s superb Triumph White 1971 Stag, it’s hard to believe that many early cars such as this fell victim to quality and reliability issues.

But such is the Stag’s following (from 25,939 cars sold globally, some 6000 survive in the UK alone, with 4000 on the road) that specialists such as Leicestershire-based EJ Ward, which maintains this example, have ironed out the gremlins and turned the Stag into the car it always should have been.

This one’s body was restored by EJ Ward in 2021, and its engine rebuilt the following year.

The Triumph Stag is much more of a cruiser than an out-and-out sports car

Mick Ward cites the poor design of the original cooling system for its overheating woes.

Early cars used a low-level expansion tank, and when the coolant expanded into the bottle, it drew less back into the system as the engine cooled.

Over time, coolant level would reduce, with predictable results.

EJ Ward now supplies an upgraded system with a higher-level, 2-litre aluminium expansion tank, along with silicone hoses, an uprated cylinder-head gasket and an electric water pump replacing Triumph’s unreliable mechanical item.

The Triumph Stag’s familiar dashboard style, while the automatic gearbox suits the car’s louche character

Producing 145bhp, the Stag was far from being a road-burner when it was launched in 1970, but with a healthy slug of torque (170lb ft at 3500rpm), 0-60mph could be dispatched in 9.5 secs on its way to a 118mph top speed.

At first, the model was available with a soft-top or a removable hardtop (or both) and with three transmission options: manual four-speed, the same with a Laycock overdrive, or three-speed automatic. Ian’s car has the latter.

Despite the well-documented issues with early cars, Triumph shamefully did little to rectify the faults during the Stag’s seven-year life, and by the time some revisions were made in February 1973, valvegear and cooling problems had tested the goodwill of American owners to the hilt, and the model was withdrawn from the US market.

The Triumph Stag’s snug rear bench

For the UK and Europe, Mk2 cars received both hood and hardtop as standard, the V8’s compression ratio was raised, and the cooling system was sealed.

These later cars are identifiable by their black-painted sills and tail panel, as well as twin coachlines along their bodies’ flanks.

The only other upgrade of note was a switch from the Borg-Warner Type 35 automatic ’box to the Type 65 in 1975/’76.

The Triumph Stag’s stylish five-spoke alloys suit the car’s shape

If there is such a thing as a generic classic car, the Stag ticks all the right boxes.

Michelotti’s design, with its superbly resolved proportions combining just the right hints of exoticism and aggression, instantly conjures images of cruising along sun-dappled country lanes to a traditional English pub, soaking up the cultured V8 bellow from its twin exhausts along the way.

Which, by happy coincidence, is just what we’re experiencing today.

You sit high, but comfortable, in the driver’s seat, facing a familiar variation on the instrument panel found in a Mk2 2000 or Dolomite – plenty of wood, a well-stocked centre console, in this case with an automatic shifter, and six clear and attractive dials.

The softly sprung Triumph Stag steers accurately and corners neatly

The leather-wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel is angled forward, a bit like a Mini’s, but is adjustable for reach and rake, and while this car’s two pedals feel aligned, they would be offset to the right in a manual.

Behind is a two-seater bench, probably better suited to children but okay for adults on shorter trips, and today it’s covered by a small tonneau and wind deflector fitted into the space framed by the rollbar; a vinyl hood cover arcs neatly around the rear seat to hide the fabric roof.

Driving the Stag demands very little of you. The steering is pleasingly direct (certainly after the Mustang) and the ride well damped, with good control at normal to brisk speeds.

The Borg-Warner gearbox shifts crisply and the ratios offer decent acceleration off the line, but with a relaxed gait in top for effortless motorway work.

The Ford Mustang gained a pointed prow for 1970

We’re not pushing hard on these flowing B-roads, but the Stag is unperturbed sitting at 60-65mph, its engine note always mellow, never unruly and reservedly British-sounding; quite the antidote to the Big Country blare from the Mustang at full chat.

But for all its good manners, the Stag is no sports car: its brakes are weaker than you expect and the power-assisted rack, while accurate, never entices you into driving much beyond seven-tenths.

It is, though, a fine and practical conveyance, powered by a V8 that you won’t find in any other production car. As a first-time Stag driver, you can’t help but be impressed.

The Ford Mustang Convertible’s ability to ‘haul’ sets it apart from the Triumph Stag

The observant among you will note that Dave Dunmore’s 1970 Ford Mustang Convertible, looking delightfully incongruous in this bucolic village scene, harks from the previous model year to the one officially sold in the UK from October 1970.

While both of these variants fell under the ‘Mustang I’ banner, we chose this car because it is perceived as being the sweeter of the two, with less bulk and smaller dimensions, and still broadly aligns with the Stag’s chronology.

Even so, the Mustang I’s first 1964 iteration had been still lighter and more compact.

Ford’s 302cu in unit took over from the legendary 289 as the Mustang’s entry-level V8 engine

Ford’s general manager, Lee Iacocca, wanted a car measuring less than 180in long and weighing sub-2500lb.

It had to appeal to women, who were becoming more influential in the car-buying process, yet still capture male audiences.

Cannily, the humble Falcon/Fairlane underpinnings were artfully disguised by Ford designers Joe Oros and L David Ash, who injected a useful dose of European flair into its styling, without detracting from its homegrown character.

Relatively lithe and manageable the Mustang might have been, but even as its launch party was under way, Ford was plotting a larger and heavier incarnation of the ‘pony car’.

Five-spokes are a popular upgrade for the Ford Mustang

That version, styled by Gale Halderman, arrived in 1967, with a further 3.8in added to its length for the 1969 model year (though it retained the 108in wheelbase), plus a half-inch to its width and around 200lb to its weight.

Inevitably, with more mass came additional power and more extreme derivatives, including the Mach 1 and Boss 302, the outrageous Boss 429 and luxury Grande.

By 1970, Ford was concerned it had gone too far, following a dip in overall sales.

Which brings us neatly to Dave’s car, which was subjected to some of the ‘de-contenting’ that took place that year.

The Ford Mustang Convertible’s neatly detailed door panels

The previous twin-headlight arrangement, with an extra pair set into the grille, was seen as too aggressive, so for 1970 only the outer lamps remained, with small gills on the outer grille sides.

Likewise, the air scoops in the rear wings were dropped and the tail-light panel was flat rather than concave.

Mechanically, Dave’s car uses the most popular of all the Mustang V8s: the 302cu in (4.9-litre) small-block.

For 1970, the all-iron, overhead-valve unit produced slightly less power than previously, with 210bhp, but a solid 300lb ft of maximum torque at just 2600rpm.

The Ford Mustang Convertible’s dimensions had grown since launch, but the original’s style survives

At nearly 4.7m and just over 1.8m, it’s 254mm longer and 195mm wider than the Triumph – although in the metal its imposing presence makes you believe that the difference is greater.

Dave has owned this car for 20 years and, other than the aftermarket wheels, it is factory-standard.

He fitted a new crate 302 engine soon after buying it, and last year replaced the fabric on the Mustang’s powered roof, but other than regular servicing the car has been a pleasure to own.

“Parts availability is excellent,” Dave confirms. “There’s even a stockist near my home, and the prices are reasonable.”

This Ford Mustang Convertible’s stylish dashboard is fronted by a non-standard steering wheel

Sink into the broad, vinyl-trimmed seat and you face a typical Ford twin-binnacle sloping dash with a quartet of dials behind the (non-standard) steering wheel, and a large clock facing your passenger; the rear seats, like the Triumph’s, are better suited to small people.

Dave’s Mustang hasn’t been restored, but even though the quality of its fixtures would never have stood comparison with the Stag’s when new, everything remains complete and fully functioning.

Fire up the small-block and, even at idle, its vocal, ‘rugga-rugga’ soundtrack attracts stares.

Pull the self-shifter’s T-bar back to Drive, prod the long-travel throttle and, well… relax.

The Ford Mustang Convertible’s passenger-side clock

Despite acres of bonnet before you, it’s easy to place, helped by steering that, while light, low-geared and heavily assisted, is accurate and even endowed with a little feel.

The biggest contrast with the Stag is the body’s overall lack of rigidity, with anything less than perfect surfaces causing it to shake and rattle.

On the plus side, the ride is sumptuous (as expected) and, more surprisingly, the Mustang grips strongly and handles assuredly.

Despite the rip-roaring exhaust noise, the three-speed slushbox puts paid to any meaningful performance – as its owner freely admits, this is no sports car – but barrelling along at double-nickel speeds, you’ll never feel short-changed.

The Ford Mustang Convertible has slightly more rear space than the Triumph Stag

Is there a winner? Potential buyers for each car will sit in well-defined camps, despite their basic templates looking quite similar.

But while I can see the appeal of wafting along British lanes in a compact land-yacht with a NASCAR soundtrack, the Mustang’s lack of any real sporting intent would get to me in the end.

A first acquaintance with the Stag was enough to be smitten by the Coventry machine, all the more so knowing that in 2026 it can now be the car Triumph once intended it to be.

Images: Max Edleston

Thanks to: Dave Dunmore; Ian Collier; Mick and Trina Ward at EJ Ward

Factfiles

Triumph Stag

Sold/number built 1970-’77/25,939
Construction steel monocoque
Engine iron-block, alloy-heads, sohc-per-bank 2997cc V8, twin Zenith-Stromberg carburettors
Max power 145bhp @ 4500rpm
Max torque 170lb ft @ 3500rpm
Transmission three-speed automatic, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar rear semi-trailing arms, coil springs, telescopic dampers
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes discs front, drums rear, with servo
Length 14ft 6in (4420mm)
Width 5ft 4in (1626mm)
Height 4ft 2in (1270mm)
Wheelbase 14ft 6in (2540mm)
Weight 2807lb (1273kg)
0-60mph 9.5 secs
Top speed 118mph
Mpg 20
Price new £2260
Price now £15-28,000*

Ford Mustang Convertible

Sold/number built 1969-‘70/490,551 (all)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-iron, ohv 302cu in (4949cc) 90° V8, single two-barrel carburettor
Max power 210bhp @ 4600rpm
Max torque 300lb ft @ 2600rpm
Transmission three-speed automatic, RWD
Suspension: front independent, by upper wishbones, single lower arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar rear live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs; telescopic dampers f/r
Steering power-assisted recirculating ball
Brakes discs front, drums rear, with servo
Length 15ft 7½in (4674mm)
Width 5ft 11¾in (1821mm)
Height n/a
Wheelbase 9ft (2743mm)
Weight 3190lb (1447kg)
0-60mph 8.1 secs
Top speed 112mph
Mpg n/a
Price new n/a
Price now £20-30,000*