Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Cheltenham Centenary Celebrations

I'm a bit surprised how little comment there has been about the Centenary Celebrations. I thought the Centenary Committee and MMC did a first rate job in celebrating such a notable occasion. As I was camping I had gone prepared for the worst, so even the rain on Saturday was not a problem.

I was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm and number of overseas owners who had made the effort to attend, especially the Aussies and Kiwis who had brought their cars as well. They certainly make the Brits who stayed away because they thought the admission price was a bit steep look feeble. I'm sure when they hear what they missed they will regret their parsimony.

As far as I am concerned the only thing that spoiled a wonderful event was the decision of Simmonds to hold a trade fair off site. Given the symbiosis that exists between the companies that chose to attend the trade fair and the MMC, I feel they should have supported the main event. Clearly they didn't feel any such obligation, despite the fact they presumably earn a good living riding on the back of MMC. There could be no clearer a two fingered salute than holding the trade fair. Shame on them.

ah but there were other companies at the trade fair at Simmonds' that simply wouldnt have been able to afford the price of a stand at the main event. Other noteable dealers/suppliers simply weren't represented. I can see your view, though on the other hand, at least it gave everyone a chance to display their wares - whether at Cheltenham or off-site.

i thought it was a shame that the morgans couldnt have been parked within the racecourse itself. i heard many people comment that the most interesting part of the weekend had been wondering about the carpark! though, i agree, it takes alot to pull off a weekend like that and seeing as it was the first of its kind, the MMC deserve a pat on the back.

My congratulations go to the professional organisers and all those others who helped make many of the individual events appear to run so smoothly. I know at first hand that running a multi-day multi-activity international event, it is virtually impossible to please all the people all the time and that one has to take a holistic view of the whole event.

And this event was a Morgan sorry, triumph and I really hope that every international visitor enjoyed this unique event that, in reality, is unlikely to be repeated.

I am sure that in hindsight there will be many comments about how individual events or venues could have been better (it's called the Call-girl Principle) but I chose to attend 3 major events, thoroughly enjoyed each of them and wish I could have attended more.

Imho all of the pictures will testify to the success and can be looked at fondly in our declining years - but I will just share a few overheard comments......

Not the exact words of the 4 seater driver who parked 3 down from me at Cheltenham and proceeded to trash all Aero8 drivers to his passengers.....

There is more to Steve Simmons et al non attendance than meets the eye. How come there were all those little jewellery stalls and not Morgan related ones?.....

Jae Alexander asked his audience to turn and put their arm around the one they loved. A guy sitting close by called out he couldn't as his car was in the carpark.....

Saw a lady from America, holding a Swedish flag and sitting in one of the German cars being photographed by some Australians.....no I didn't ask!...

3200 Morgan cars in the same place at the same time (Mathew Parkin)....
And I think that sums it up - a unique event. The Centenary Celebrations are, like Morgan cars,
Driven at Heart.

And I for one will look back with pleasure and say...I was there.

We may never know why so few dealers were there. They all make a (good)living out of Morgan so it would have been nice to see, and get a feel for the people. I assume that many were at the dinner????
The Simmonds show was well supported when I got there but the rain was torrential, so I only stayed ten minutes for a quick look from under the brolly. There's obviously something at play behind the scenes, and it can't simply be cost. But we'll probably never know the truth. One dealer who attended as a normal punter, told me that he was 'happy to leave things to the local dealers', when I asked him why he didn't take his full dealer display.

Inside the event, there was a large amount of tarmac and flat grass. A lot of the attendees could have parked inside. Having an outside car park may have been due to the demands of the racecourse owners, but for me, that, and the lack of the dealers/ support industries let it down. It was the Centenary after all.

Overall for me, Prescott was a more enjoyable day out.

I find this rather sad.

The missus was talking to a guy who had owned the same Morgan for donkeys years. Cheltenham was the furthest he'd travelled and only managed a few thousand miles per annum. When he asked if we used ours much he was amazed that we'd covered more miles in 2 years than he had in over a decade of ownership.

When he discovered its was in an aero the conversation ended.

Either that or saw me coming back and realised his luck wasn't in

I found the Centenary cellebration absolutely fabulous - not just about the cars but also about the people we met starting at the Pump Room reception where Morgan Champagne flowed ad lib!
Americans, Swedes, Germans, Irish, Italian, Australian etc all were in bubbly humour and eager to chat. There appeared no difference in the enthusiasm for three-wheelers, 4/4s, +4s or Aeros. Morganeering was to the fore and I thought Charles captured the spirit of the occasion at both the formal dinner and at "An audience with". As Max Boyce used to say (or still possibly does if he's alive) "I was there!"

My son and I were at Cheltenham all weekend and we had a brilliant time. 3200 Mogs! took us ages to look around the car park let alone the show itself. Driving around the area was a hoot with so many Mogs on the roads. Loads to do for the whole family. The concert on Saturday night was great and the atmosphere everywhere was superb. We went along to the Simmonds trade fair which was interesting if a little small. I suspect there was some political disharmony between those traders and MMC but at least it was another excuse to drive around some wonderful countryside.
Very well done MMC - a great celebration for us all to be proud of.

For me, the only thing that spoilt Cheltenham for us was the weather, p**ing over my nice clean car. I had put all of my faith in having a fantastic day on Saturday. I wasn't looking for anything specific, just the pleasure in being there among like minded people with wonderful cars. After all, the cars are the stars. And let us not forget the people, some of the overseas visitors we met at Beaulieu were there to say hello to again. And I met Dave W for the first time which was great. I also met Chris Lawrence full of enthusiasm about his cars. The Morgan team are to be congratulated for the fantastic work in organising these events for us to all to participate in. Customer Service at its best. The lads from the factory wanted me to just ask more questions. They love talking about their work. Unfortunately, We did not go to the Dinner, too late to get in, but that would have probably been the venue to meet and cement the occasion. We did not see Charles anywhere as we missed the lectures. The VIP suite seemed to be the best place to be, barred to the rest of us. We eventually found Aeromans Max and that nice fitted luggage tucked away from the crowds at the southern end where no one had much reason to go, with three other beauties alongside. Why I wonder??.
I now have withdrawal symptoms until we find another Mog event to attend. Happy Days. Well done MMC & MSCC.

When we came out of the Welcome to Malvern party, a group followed us and on espying Charles' AeroMax, one of the party said in a loud voice "I don't regard that qualifies as a Morgan". I was pretty incensed at this remark and said to her, "If it has a Morgan badge and is manufactured in this factory, then to me it is a Morgan - a Morgan; is a Morgan; is a Morgan."

She replied, "That is your opinion, but I can never agree with it". I did not bother to reply to her retort, pearl before swine...

I have only heard one side of this particular story so do not intend commenting on the whys and wherefores. However, much as I admire Steve Simmonds work, I am also disappointed that he saw fit to host a separate event. I did not attend it, nor did most of the Americans that we mixed with over the weekend, even though another Morgan DG was actively promoting it.


I couldn't agree more uvk33n, I was particularly disappointed to see so few UK Aero's present. C'est la vie, I think that they missed out on a very positive experience.