1 day Ago By Jacob Jaffa
AN iconic classic car that featured heavily in the last ever Grand Tour has become one of the UK's must-have motors, sales platforms have revealed. The model has now seen an eight-fold increase in interest following the emotional special . Last week, viewers waved farewell to the team of Hammond, Clarkson and May as they came together for the final time.
A 1,200-mile trip across Zimbabwe saw the trio retrace their steps from their first ever Top Gear special 17 years ago, and even reunite with some old motoring friends. But the show also sparked a renaissance for the car James May used to cross the African nation. The only criterion the team was given was to pick a motor they had always wanted, which saw James plump for a '70s legend in the form of the Triumph Stag.
READ MORE ON THE GRAND TOUR The gorgeous sportster was only made between 1970 and 1978, even through the collapse of Triumph's parent company British Leyland . Only around 25,000 were ever made despite achieving a good chunk of popularity in its day. However, the model was largely forgotten by all but the most ardent classic cars fans, barring a test drive in one episode of Clarkson's Car Years in which Jeremy used it as a case study of why BL went bust.
Now, though, AutoTrader is reporting that adverts for second-hand Stags have seen a 793% bump in views in the days following the special. Most read in Motors Likewise, interest in the Ford Capri GLX that Richard Hammond used for the episode has increased by 185%. And it seems likely there would have been a similar spike for Jeremy's Lancia Montecarlo if not for the fact that none are currently listed on the site.
Fortunately for fans, you can still pick up a Stag for a very reasonable price, with listing on AutoTrader starting at just £8,495. A quick warning to prospective buyers though - as mentioned in The Grand Tour the model was known to suffer from reliability issues (especially the V8 engine) so it's well worth having one professionally looked at before handing over the cash. As a rule of thumb, most Stags still around today had the original Triumph engine swapped out for the more reliable Rover V8, although that process itself could cause issues if done shoddily.
Erin Barker, AutoTrader's editorial director, said: " Classic cars like the Ford Capri and Triumph Stag have always held a special place in the hearts of British car enthusiasts. "The latest episode of The Grand Tour has brought these iconic models back into the spotlight, reminding viewers of their timeless appeal and that seeing their favourite fellow petrolheads driving them is part of the appeal. "As a result, we’ve seen a huge surge in interest, with both models becoming incredibly popular on our platform in the days following the show’s release, proving that celebrities and popular culture still have a huge impact on our lifestyles, including purchasing a new car.
" It comes after a one-off Mercedes from the '30s hit auction after being found under a manure pile in Ethiopia..
