by Derek Meluzio –
The event tagline reads “The British are coming… again!”. In fact, to be specific, the British have been coming to this area to hold a wonderful car show for over 30 years. The 31st annual Lewes British Motorcar Show was recently held at the Lewes Ferry Terminal in Delaware and not only celebrated all British vehicles but the honored marque was Morgan Motor Company.
Organized by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and the British car club of Delaware, I was lucky enough to attend this great show recently. Friday evening saw a very nice reception for participants, organizers, and sponsors. It was a great meet and greet held at a waterfront restaurant called the Wheelhouse that was right on the canal. It really was a nice way for everyone to get to know each other, talk British cars, and get ready for the big day.
As it is with many car shows, the weather had been the talk of the town all week long. A few days prior to the weekend the forecast was looking pretty bleak with an 85% chance of showers all day. Some days the weather is in your favor and other days it is not. In this case mother nature cooperated and we woke up on the morning of the event with cloud cover but not an ounce of rain in the forecast. There was a firm sea breeze, as to be expected on the water, but we all agreed we could put up with it for dry conditions. The cloud cover actually allowed for excellent picture taking with minimal glare on the polished brightworks of the cars.
A large tent with multiple raffle items (most of which were British motoring or car care themed) and an excellent DJ playing classic British tunes was followed on the show field with the featured marque lined up first. Four classics and three modern Morgans made up the gathering. The Morgan representation was excellent. Not only in quantity but in quality and diversity. The seven Morgans that took part in the event ranged in years from 1961 to a brand new 2026. To continue on the diversity topic, not only were most of the vehicles there traditional four wheeled cars but there was even one with only three wheels! Six different four wheeled Morgans were on hand but they even had a beautiful three wheeled Morgan Super 3 attend as well. The exterior color of Opie Orange and the blue interior complimented each other wonderfully. As you may know, Morgan has made both four and three wheeled vehicles for well over one hundred years. This was a Super 3 which is the more modern three wheeled offering by Morgan. It is powered by a 3-cylinder Ford engine and retains the reliable and quick MX-5 Mazda gearbox Morgan has used for so long.
As with any British event, the show field was made up of not only Morgans but also many Jaguars, Bentleys, Austin Healeys, MGs, TVRs, Triumphs, and much more. The event actually sold out and had no additional room come the day of the show. In my opinion that was a sign that the promoters and organizers did a great job and the show was going strong. The cars were lined up in the grass right along the water overlooking the ferry terminal. It was an excellent setting.
I think what I liked the most wasn’t even the cars themselves. The people were the best part. All of the owners were fanatic Morgan lovers. Many of them wearing Morgan driving jackets, Morgan t-shirts, Morgan socks, you name it. The conversation was excellent as well. Each owner had a story to tell. Honestly, that is not specific to Morgan. Almost all true car lovers have a story to tell about their vehicles but it especially held true at this event.
Some were one solid color, some had contrasting colored wings. Some where 4-cylinders, some were Rover V8s. Some participants had owned their car for decades like John Hohman. Some, like Gerald Hirst, had restored their car over years and brought it back from the dead turning it into a masterpiece. Some, like Dolcey Zilg, had seen a Morgan in front of a hotel many years ago and aspired to own one. Dolce is the now proud recent owner of a brand new 2025 Morgan Plus Four in sport green with a beautiful biscuit interior.
Morgan Cars Mid-Atlantic, which was the primary sponsor of the event, was granted space on the show field by the organizers to display their company demo. Boy did they need every inch of it. A healthy crowd of people surrounded the brand new 2026 Morgan Plus Four 75 Edition all day long. The body color was Rodium Silver with a soft grain British Leaf Green interior and a green mohair hood. Design wise, the car held true to the classic Morgan lines but underneath it was quite different. The previous Morgan vehicles were built on a ladder frame with a sliding pillar suspension while this 2026 had a four-wheel double wishbone independent suspension. The 2026 along with the 2025 that was at the show as well, was built with a riveted and bonded aluminum CX-chassis. The designation “CX” comes from the Roman Numerals for 110, commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Morgan Motor Company. The 2026 even has an advance Nitron suspension with adjustable dampers and a rear anti-roll bar and the upgraded Morgan sport exhaust.
There were a few interior conveniences like heated seats and air conditioning but still no power windows, no power top, and no cruise control making it a true modern classic. Morgan has done an amazing job of keeping the old styling and feel of a Morgan while bringing the car into the modern era. Continuing with their long standing relationship with BMW, the car is powered by a 4-cylinder turbo charged B48 engine mated to the famous BMW ZF transmission.
Overall the show was a resounding success. Celebrating the past while enjoying the future of Morgan was the theme of the day. The Morgan class results were as follows. 3rd place went to David Clements with a 1977 Morgan Plus 8. 2nd place went to Dolcey Zilg with a 2025 Morgan Plus Four. 1st place went to Gerald Hirst with a 1966 Morgan Plus 4. British car enthusiasts in general were in heaven and the Morgan owners enjoyed getting to be the center of attention while honoring the make the way it deserves.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR: Derek Meluzio grew up in a car loving family in Central, PA. He still lives there with his wife, daughter, and car loving sons. Derek is an amateur autocrosser who attends track events, Concours/shows, and Cars and Coffee events all over. He has an appreciation for all cars but especially anything Porsche.
More in the video below.
Photos and video by Derek Meluzio.
Good reporting Derek and a video to back it up –nicely done. It’s a great annual event whose main sponsor this year was Morgan Motors, Mid Atlantic under the classy eye of Lori Frick.
We have a similar annual event on June 7, here in Connecticut called British By The Sea in Waterford, CT put on by the Connecticut MG Club and our club, the 3/4 Morgan Group Ltd., is always well represented with Plus 4s, Plus 8s, 4/4s, three and 4 wheelers.
Again, fine job Derek and if you should find yourself in Connecticut, on June 7th, please stop by and say hello.
Steve Schefbauer
Editor-at-Large
The Morganeer
The Journal of the 3/4 Morgan Group Ltd
sschefbauer@aol.com
In about hot August of 2010, two sweaty Morgan drivers pulled into my repair shop for help from overheating and a shifting problems at closing time, I told them to come back in early morning and we would help. So the following morning 17 Morgan’s pulled into my repair shop. We fixed the 1956 transmission shifter problem with a Celica shift lever bushing and put an electric fan on the 2009 BMW v8 to keep it cool. This very unique group of old rich Morgan lovers were from Andorra and Liechtenstein and had landed in Miami and had gone to Morgan City, Louisiana for the 100 year anniversary. They were then on their way to Maine then back to Florida. Such a unique and cool moment of life. I may have had more Morgans at my repair shop than most Concourse have at their events?
Amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing that video of the event with us!!!
I’ve told this story before. About 25 years ago, one of the writers for one of the American car magazines wrote a story of how he ordered his Morgan with the optional final pick-up at the factory. His wife and he were going to pick up their new Morgan in Malvern and drive it around England and then on the continent. They ordered it in British Racing Green, and the boys brought the car up to the company office building where he and his wife were filling out the final paperwork. They finish and go out to the car, and start driving away, and then a man comes out running after them and yelling at them to stop, and catches up to them, and hands them a jar of green paint. The guy says to them that they forgot their touch-up paint. They thank him and ask him his name and he says, “Peter Morgan, I own the company.” How’s that for personal customer service!
Glenn in Brooklyn, NY