Peter Kupczak, the late David Ash & Michael Eaton 
Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance. Sebring, Florida. March 13, 1957
Listen to an interview with David Ash. Recorded at Sebring International Raceway in 1957.
History provided by the car owner, Michael Eaton.
This MGA was prepared by Inskip Motors, NYC (with Factory assistance) for the 1957 Sebring 12-hour race. The car finished the entire 12-hour race and placed second in class. Additionally, all three MGAs that entered finished to capture the coveted Team Prize for 1957. The car was driven in the race by David Ash and Gus Ehrman. David Ash was widely known as “Mr. MG” for his involvement in racing MGs and in signing up MG dealers up and down the East Coast. Gus Ehrman also had a distinguished MG career in both racing and later as an executive for Hambro.
After Sebring, the car had a brief SCCA career at the hands of Ted Rounds. Mr. Rounds drove the car throughout the 1959 SCCA racing season at events such as Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, and Giant’s Despair. At the Giant’s Despair races, Mr. Rounds and the car took first in class in the hill climb event and the following day another first in class at the road race! After the 1959 season, the car was sold to a friend of Mr. Rounds and was never raced again.
The car was eventually purchased in 1975 by noted MG collector Jerry Goguen and was displayed at his Westminister MG Museum in Vermont. My father and I purchased the car from Mr. Goguen when we learned he was liquidating his collection. After years of hard use racing and later years of inactivity in the museum, the car is in need of a total restoration. We have chosen John Tokar and Vintage Restorations Ltd to perform the restoration. We have known John for a number of years and we are well aquainted with the quality of the work performed in his shop. I hope you will enjoy watching the progress of the restoration of this Sebring MGA as we bring it back to its Sebring specification.
The known modifications to the car for Sebring include the following:
- Factory works “EX” designation motor
- Extra Andrex shock absorbers on front suspension
- Early style LeMans type ducted oil cooler
- Close Ratio Transmission
- 4.55 rear end
- Dual headed fuel pump
- Large capacity fuel tank with lockable quick release filler
- Cut down windscreen
- Push button starter and added Panic light
- 7″ dual Flamethrower lamps
- Added side and rear lamps for identification
- Bonnet Strap
