Author Archives: Mark Braunstein

18 Sep

British Car Club of Charleston event on October 29th in Charleston SC

Fellow Mog South members, just another reminder that Morgans are the spotlight group for 37th British Car Club of Charleston’s, British Car Days to be held on October 28th and 29th. John Scott and Irene Breland are looking forward to a fun filled weekend with lots of Morgans running around the Charleston area.

If not already registered for a room, click Morgan Car Club Booking Link or call 843-884-6000 to book your reservation at Hotel Indigo, a modern boutique hotel in Mt. Pleasant at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge. The room block, at the rate of $179 dollars per night plus tax, is under Morgan Car Club and is being held until September 28, 2022. This hotel, www.hotelindigo.com , features the charm of the Lowcountry and luxe amenities right over the bridge from historic Charleston. There are a limited number of rooms so don’t wait too long to make you reservation! Meet for after show cocktails at hotel bar followed by a poolside dinner on Saturday October 29th. Please let John at scott5254@comcast.net know if you are attending the dinner by Sept. 15th
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British Car Days info at:
https://www.britishcarclubcharleston.com/BritishCarDay2022/BCD2022.html

Register for British Car Days at:
https://www.britishcarclubcharleston.com/BritishCarDay2022/BCDregistration.php

This year there are several options for Friday beginning with a Lowcountry drive through the islands to the Charleston Tea company farm and visitor center. Tours are available for the processing plant and the farm or just visit the gift shop for a souvenir or a box of tea! This drive ties in with the authentic English tea and tour back at McLeod Plantation. See link below for more info on times and cost. https://www.britishcarclubcharleston.com/BritishCarDay2022/BCDregSuccess.html

The Friday show reception is from 5:PM to 9 PM at the Mcleod shelter. Cash bar and light fare with fellow show registrants included with British Car Days show registration fee. The car show will be held on Saturday starting at 9:00 AM.

04 Sep

Save the Date ** 3 – 5 February 2023 – GatorMOG / MOGSouth Noggin – St Petersburg, FL

St. Petersburg Yacht Club (SPYC) Vintage Motor Classic – Sunday, February 5, 2023.

MORGANS ARE THE FEATURED MARQUE

Registration information and fees: https://registernow.regfox.com/2023-st-petersburg-motor-classic-spmc. 

NOTE: Free t-shirt to first 100 registrants!

Please confirm attendance/registration, via email to livi_02446@yahoo.com and include the year, make, model and color of the car(s) you have registered.

Tentative Schedule (exact times TBD)

Friday, February 3rd, 2023

  • 4pm onward: Check in to The Hollander, The Avalon, or your hotel of choice
  • 6:00pm: Drinks and dinner at The Hollander

Saturday, February 4th 2023

  • 6:00pm – 8:00pm: Reception at the St. Petersburg home of Mike Palfreyman and Lois Slavin

Sunday, February 5th, 2023

  • Breakfast on your own
  • SPYC Classic Car Show
  • 8:00am – 10:30am: Arrival and staging
  • 3:00pm – 3:30pm Awards

Hotel Reservations

Special discounts have been arranged the nights of Feb. 3, 4, and 5 for GatorMOG and MOGSouth members. Please visit the following websites to learn more about the hotels, then call the phone # indicated. 

You MUST CALL and identify yourself as a Morgan Car Club – GatorMOG or MOGSouth Member. The reservationist will provide you with a quote that includes the Group discount.

The Avalon Hotel, (727) 317-5508

The Hollander Hotel, (pet-friendly) 727-873-7900

More details on how to enter your Morgan in the show, fees etc., will be coming soon but as this is high season in St Pete you will want to make your hotel reservations so call soon – or better yet, call now!

14 Aug

Details – 2022 GatorMOG Fall Noggin – Daytona

A Special Commemoration of the 1962 Morgan ‘1st in Class’ Victory at Le Mans

Concept – GatorMOG Fall Noggin – Long weekend.  Friday November 4th – Saturday November 5th.  Home on Sunday (or ??). This event is being held in conjunction with the HSR 24 Hours of Daytona Classic.  We have negotiated with HSR and will have a Morgan specific Car Corral in the infield, Laps of the Speedway, etc. We have done this before, a few years back, however it was freezing cold. Hopefully we will have warmer weather this time!!

Hotel – Hampton Inn, Daytona Beach-Speedway-Airport, 1715 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida 32114, 1-386-257-4030. If you choose to call, be sure to reference the ‘Morgan’ group.

Direct Hotel Reservation Link for Morgan Group Rooms

In search of ambiance, we attempted to get a hotel right on the water, but alas there is a big event happening in Daytona the same weekend as ours.

So we opted for Plan B, a hotel near the race track and all the new restaurants, shopping, etc. We have a limited block of rooms at the hotel. Use the group ‘Morgan’ to get the discounted rate. The block will only be valid until 6 October 2022, so make your reservations now (You can always cancel should you need to!))

Tickets – You Must Buy Tickets for this Event. If you are only going to participate in the MOGSouth / GatorMOG Car Corral on Saturday 5 November, buy the single day ticket / ‘Saturday Access Only’. If you will visit the track on Saturday and again on Sunday 6 November (or Friday 4 November!), you need the two-day ticket.

Tickets are required for both you and your navigator. If attending alone, you will only need one ticket!!

Tickets are purchased by completing the form found at the following link.

GatorMOG Daytona Noggin Ticket Request Form

You can print it, then fill it out and sign it. Then scan it and send the scanned form via email to lyn@hsrrace.com. Else, if you cannot scan it, perhaps you can take a picture of the signed form with your phone and email the picture?

Finally, if all else fails, mail the hard copy to Rick Goolsby, 1212 Edna Dr., Port Orange, Fl 32129

These tickets are specifically for Car Clubs with Car Corrals. They include infield parking. Also, there will be parade laps of the track around midday, assuming there is sufficient time available, and the track is available. (Note: In 2018 we were limited to a single lap as the track was not available for more.) Parade laps are normally $50 each and infield parking on a regular ticket is $15, so it is a pretty good deal!!

Lining up for Parade Laps at Daytona – 2018

Schedule of Events – Friday Nov 4th, Saturday Nov 5th, Sunday Nov 6th 2022

Friday Nov 4th

  • Drive to Daytona Beach, Check in to Hampton Inn (or other!)
  • Friday Night Morgan Group Dinner – Houligan’s Daytona Speedway – 1725 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114 (Adjacent to the Hampton Inn (you can walk!) 1-386-265-4102

Saturday Nov 5th

  • Saturday Breakfast – At Hotel
  • Depart for Car Corral – Front Entrance of Hotel – 0845
  • At Car Corral – 0900 – 1530 – Track Events
  • Open House – 1600 – 1800 – at Morgan Dealer Christopher John LTD. 
  • Saturday Night Dinner – On your Own! Lots of Choices in the general area of the hotel.

Sunday Nov 6th

  • Sunday Breakfast – At Hotel
  • Return to Track
  • Drive Home

15 Jun

2022 GatorMOG Fall Noggin at Daytona International Speedway – A Final Commemoration of the 1962 Morgan Le Mans Class Win – 4-6 Nov

Daytona Overnight

Like the George Waltman Weekend in 2019, only warmer!  

Concept – GatorMOG Fall Noggin – Long weekend.  November 4 – 5.  In conjunction with the HSR 24 Hrs of Daytona Classic.  

Morgan specific Car Corral in the infield, Laps of the Speedway, etc.

Hotel – TBD

  • Friday Night Dinner –  TBD
  • Saturday Breakfast – Hotel –
    • At Track in Car Corral by 0830/0900.  Enjoy track events on Saturday.
    • Leave Car Corral o/a 1500.
  • Saturday Night Dinner ––TBD
  • Saturday Breakfast – Hotel  –
  • Sunday Morning Drive Home. 

Actions – We are working to have a 10 Room Hotel Block.  Reservations for TBD.   Watch this space for details.

03 Mar

NHTSA Approves Manufacture of Low-Volume Turn-Key Replica Cars (Road & Track)

[At this point, it is hard to say how this will effect the future importation of Morgan cars into the U.S. Morgan has been continually involved, as a potential Low-Volume Manufacturer, during this regulation’s evolution. They have commented on draft wording and supported the concepts inherent in the regulation. We shall have to see how this all works out, but, at this point in time, it can only be beneficial for us all. Mark]

After years of lobbying from SEMA, it’s now legal throughout the U.S. for manufacturers to build and sell brand-new replicas of cars over 25 years old.

Replica vehicles and kit cars have long been a way for enthusiasts to get a piece of some of the greatest examples of automotive unobtainium.  Thanks to the efforts of the Specialty Equipment Market Association and their partners lobbying Congress, the replica market is about to get a lot bigger.  Customers in the United States will now be able to legally purchase turn-key, factory-assembled replica vehicles, based on designs more than 25 years old, now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially implemented the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act.

According to this new policy, low-volume vehicle manufacturers will be able to construct up to 325 replica vehicles a year—anything from old-school hot rods to mid-century muscle cars and more modern classics.  These vehicles will still be required to comply with some level of federal oversight, but not at the level of modern mass-produced vehicles.  This should allow small manufacturers that don’t have the resources of a legacy automaker to build limited-production replicas that comply with the new law.

That said, these replica vehicles will still be required to meet current model-year emissions regulations, and as such, all replica manufacturers must register with NHTSA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Air Resource Board in order to build and sell street-legal vehicles.  The process of verification with these entities may take several months, according to SEMA.  That means we still likely have a way to go before we start to see an influx of new pseudo-vintage machines powered by modern emissions-compliant engines. For those who don’t want to wait, we should note that this new policy has no impact on your ability to build a traditional kit car.

It doesn’t feel like automotive enthusiasts catch many breaks these days, especially as our zero-emissions future draws ever-nearer.  This is a win we can all get behind, and one that could help get some seriously cool cars on the road in the near future.  Let us know what vintage vehicles you’d like to see as turn-key replicas in the comment section below.

24 Feb

MOGSouth.com – We Have Had Over 1 Million Visits to Our Web Site!! Amazing!!

The MOGSouth web site (www.mogsouth.com) has reached a major milestone.  It has had its 1 million ‘Visit’ since inception.  (The MOGSouth web site has existed in its current form since 2016.)  

As you know, the MOGSouth web site is the primary communication tool for the MOGSouth Morgan Club. So, members in MOGSouth need to access the web site routinely to get MOGSouth scheduling information, news, activities details, etc.

That being said, the MOGSouth leadership is constantly trying to improve the communication with the membership.  The web site’s existence is a result of this effort. It was totally revamped in 2016, when the MOGSouth newsletter, the Southern Fours and Eights, was cancelled.  (This newsletter was last published in 2015. It was cancelled due to the lack of a Newsletter Editor (volunteer.))  The Newsletter Archives (on the web site) provide copies of these older Newsletters.