The Stag Project

"Born in 1974 and reborn in 2021." Richard found this Mk2 in late 2018. It hadn't moved for 18 years, there was a small boat parked on its roof, and the seized rear end meant it had to be winched out of its home. It arrived with a Leyland P76 4.4 litre V8 already fitted. Richard rebuilt the P76 with an electric water pump, hardened valve seats, ceramic coated extractors and an upgraded radiator. He rewired the whole car with LED lighting (daytime running lights included), dual batteries behind the rear seat and around 20 relays, and added under-dash air conditioning, a GPS audio head unit and a GPS speedo. Every bush, tie rod, steering and brake part was replaced, the diff refurbished and the rust cut out and welded. The three big changes are all reversible: the worn wood veneer dash is wrapped in vinyl, the chrome bumpers are off, and the car sits 50 mm lower at the rear and 40 mm lower at the front. "I am sure my work will not be to everyone's taste," Richard says, "however I am about to retire and I want a touring car that is fun and reliable." The dual batteries mean he and his wife can camp overnight under the stars if need be. It was finished in time for the 2021 Tamborine Mountain Car Show. Richard's full write-up, A Modern Restoration for the Twenties, ran in Stag News issue 115 (Spring 2022), the Triumph Stag Club USA's magazine.

Photos: Richard Lysnar, from his presentation The Stag Project, shared with John Powell's Stag email group in 2022