Rover V8 engined Triumph Stag firing up

My '74 Triumph Stag with a 3.5 litre Rover V8 in. It's a 9.35:1 CR unit out of an SD1, breathing through twin SUs with K&N filters and a stainless sports exhaust system (including manifolds).

It's interesting to note the vocal difference from the original 3.0 Triumph V8, the Rover sounding much more muffled and restrained (see my other Stag videos for a comparision).

Still, good noise either way! I'll definitely go for a Stag engined one next though, as I've now sold this one.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Rover
• V8
• engine
• Triumph
• Stag
• SD1
• 9.35:1
• SUs
• HS6
• twin
• carb
• rev
• up
• idle
• roar
• modified
• classic
• car
• top
• gear
• retro
• british
• leyland
• BL
• BLMC
• buick
• 215ci
• 215
• ci
• sports
• performance

[JohnnyBoi93xD]

thats the engine they should have put in it in the first place, am i right?

[LashoutUK]

@JohnnyBoi93xD Potentially, yes - but the Triumph V8 was a much more lively, engaging and tuneful engine - just crippled by poor (and often incorrect) maintainence and some poor manufacturing ideas and defects, which are all pretty easy to resolve.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other really - Rover V8's are also liable to take out headgaskets, suffer oil supply issues, knock out their camshafts and more - so they aren't perfect either....

[TheKamikazeMAR]

Somebody knows how many v8 ROVER engine been made?

[LashoutUK]

I have no idea, but with all those 3.5 to 5.0 litre engines made, it's got to be in the millions with ease.

[aellacyning]

Only twin turbochargers are in order. A little updating of this car and there would be nothing like it on the road. I loved to hear that sound when I fired it up.

[LashoutUK]

There was a guy who built a twin turbo Stag, using the original engine - madness, but worked pretty well. There's a quite rapid supercharged one on Youtube as well - sounds great!

High compression turbo and supercharged engines always sound evil.....

[EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME]

triumph staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag

[magna59]

Having seen a few of these V8 units, what I was supprised by was the open to the air casing detail over the cam shaft. It's a shame that Triumph did not get it...but the BL period just seem to end with almost everything being built badly, be it Stag or SD1. It was yet another period of time wasted & jobs & markets lost. The great this about the Stag is the shame....it's great advantage, it beautiful without the engine running !

[Dav123xyz]

@iveco889 not really the syraight 6 wouldn't have the guts to push it properly. Its such a shame the engine used wasn't sorted in time and got such a bad press.

[Dav123xyz]

@magna59 wot?

[magna59]

I do have a pet hate for the sound of the V8, it's that lumpy sound, like it's lost a cylinder & the large american stuff sound dire. The only place I have seen it sounds really good in is the Citroen GT, 'cos the shape is just sooo Dan Dare & the blue collar V8 brings it back down to earth. The v12 has it.......but a good straught six might have saved the company.

[DAVEYD92]

@iveco889 Untill 70 or 75,000 miles .Then they throw the "Thrusts Out". Crankshaft U.S. Block U.S. Need I say more.

[mrspivvy]

It was also common in the '70s to fit ford 3.0 V6 engines and straight 6 triumph engines into stags, rather then fork out for another stag V8 that would only self destruct again. missing the point somewhat I feel but at least it made them reliable. worth buttons if so fitted today, though.

[mrspivvy]

when I buy one its going to have this engine. it doesn't sound quite as nice as the stag V8, but much more reliable. I ran sd1s for years, change the oil regularly and keep the anti freeze level up and no worries.

Standard stag engine can be made reliable these days but still labour intensive- you have to change timing chains every 25k for example

[spartacusvikinga]

Sex on wheels.

[mackat4ck]

@017matt Yes, but apparently it wasn't very good!