You can imagine the quizzical looks back and forth as Del Lines' eyes flitted from the engine bay of the Triumph 2000 from which he had just removed a straight-six motor to that of the newly released Triumph Stag he had in his workshop. The front chassis legs were the same... and that triggered an idea: Lines was going to make the car Triumph wouldn't.
Ian 'Del' Lines' brother had bought a garage in Weston-super-Mare earlier in 1970, and the pair specialised in Triumphs. Atlantic Garage developed a reputation for sorting out the troublesome Lucas injection fitted to the TR6 and 2.5 PI, and, as a keen clubman rally driver, Del learnt how to improve the chassis.
The rallying required a tow vehicle, for which Del used a 1966 Triumph 2000 Estate. It was this well-worn car, suffering from an ailing engine, that Lines was disassembling while the Stag, heavily accident-damaged after just 500 miles from new, and having only been released in June 1970, was sitting alongside it in the workshop. Because of this poor Stag owner's misfortune, Lines was one of the first outside British Leyland to realise that the new Triumph V8 would be an easy fit into the 2000/2500.
Early Stag prototypes had been powered by Triumph's overhead-valve straight-six, with the car conceived as a drop-top conversion of the saloon. US ambitions prompted the move to a V8 derived from the firm's new overhead-cam slant-four, but, even then, Triumph's pre-BL ambition was to move all models to this engine family, whether in-line 'four', V6 or V8. So interchangeability was high on the agenda.
A swap of the engine mounts, gearbox and battery box allowed the fitting of the V8, while Lines added badging that labelled the car '3-Litre V8' on the back and 'Stag' on the sides.
The 2000 V8 remained his tow car and covered 120,000 miles over the following four years, and it wasn't long before others began asking Lines to carry out the same conversion for them.
Esta historia es de la edición August 2024 de Classic & Sports Car.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 2024 de Classic & Sports Car.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
RAY HILLIER
Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.
People's choice
The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career
Still going strong
Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim
One for the kids
General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.
Brits with SIX appeal
The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison
