In a message dated 97-03-27 11:44:15 EST, dpruzan@nearinc.com (Daniel Pruzan)
writes:
<< I was just looking through a recent issue of Autoweek and saw a short
note that a factory four wheel drive Stag was sold for $11K (US). I
didn't know there were any. Does this mean that Triumph was ahead of
their time with a four wheel drive sports car or was it an attempt to
reduce the chances of being stuck on the road due to driveline failure:-)
Along these lines, did they ever try to fit one with two engines?
>>
Actually, this Stag was built during the worst of the Labor disputes which
affected the company and eventually lead to it's downfall. In fact it did
have two engines when it came off the factory line. One engine was mounted in
the front of the car in a conventional manner. The second was mounted in the
rear of the car, and in a rearward manner with the flywheel of engine number
two toward the flywheel of the first engine. Furthermore , there were two
transmissions also ! Each engine carried the conventional transmission,
with shift linkage, etc. As you may have anticipated already, each engine
provided power to only one set of wheels. Engine number one driving set of
wheels number one, engine number two driving set of wheels number two.
Synchronizing the operation of each of these two independent power trains
was not the problem you might anticipate. Each drive train would propell the
vehicle only in ONE direction and was inoperative while the vehicle was
powered in the opposite direction, so it is not a true 4WD is the way we
think of it today. All 4 wheels were powered, but by different engines and
not typically at the same time. If the vehicle became stuck, or was required
to climb a very steep hill, the opposing engine could be engaged in REVERSE,
powering the opposing set of wheels in the direction of required movement and
providing more traction and effectively twice the power at the wheels. This
vehicle is extraordinarily manuverable also, as BOTH the front and rear
wheels are steerable. In fact there are two back to back driving seats, one
facing each direction the car could move in. Each seat was provided with a
complete dash and windscreen also, with all the gauges for the engine to
which it was assigned. At this point you are probably thinking this is a
fable created by a sick mind, BUT I have it on excellent authority, a chap
who worked at the factory during this time period. The most amazing thing
about this vehicle is yet to be told here. This is the fact that when it
came off the line in this state, two engines facing opposite directions, two
complete drive trains , two complete steering assemblys, and 4WD, THAT NO
ONE HAD NOTICED THE MODIFICATIONS UNTIL THE CAR WAS COMPLETED. Two different
teams of front end assemblers had been mistakenly assigned to the vehicle,
rather than a front end and a back end team. Each team also worked a
different shift and had no communication with the other. Line supervisors
were all working on the Labor problems and the Top Brass were all over
applying at GM for a job. When this creation was discovered, it was by the
by the chap who was assigned to drive it to the dock for shipping, and HE
drove it 50 miles in the WRONG direction because he go into the wrong side of
the car to start with. This incredible vehicle was brought to the state in
which it was recently sold by removal of one engine and transmission and by
grafting on the proper Stag rear body. That's the TRUE story of the
development of the 4WD Stag ! This story was submitted to Grahm Robeson, who
flat out refused to print it, but the National Enquirer, Automotive Division
is seriously reviewing it at this time.
Bob Paul
Corrales NM
'TRUE AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY IS A STATE OF MIND'
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