Factory Modified Era 1953 to 1956

For all intents and purposes, two

marques in under 1,500 cc racing were
the class: O.S.C.A. and Porsche. The
latter built production push rod boxer-
type four-cylinder cars of varying
displacement that were successful in
racing in the USA beginning in 1951 and
1952. The super-light Glockler roadsters
that Max Hoffman imported were fast,
but tricky to handle at racing speeds

America's First
with their violent oversteer, and
required a whole new approach to
driving to be competitive.
The first O.S.C.A.s arrived in mid-

O.S.C.A.S
Not a complete O.S.C.A. history,
but a story about the first few
to come to the U.S.
By ROBERT T. DEVLIN
MacDougall's beautiful envelope-
bodied 1,092 cc (Mille Miglia] a few
olio wing
World War II and by 1947, the sports car
movement in the United States was
spurred on by the amazingly simple pre-
war-designed MG TC. The winged-
fender two-passenger roadster with
19-inch wheels was everyone's darling.
They would comprise entire grids for the
under 1,500 cc races. The MG car club's
list of members throughout the United
States was growing at a rapid rate and
attention soon turned to "improving"
the breed. Wider 15- to 16-inch wheels,
improved Al Fin brakes, tuning to
include supercharging were all part of
the mode. Once these modifications to
increase speed were made, these MGs
had to move out of the production
category of under 1,500 cc racing and
either move up to over 1,500 cc or move
into under 1,500 cc modified categories.
Several special-bodied MG TC-based
cars were produced by their competitive
owners. The pattern was established by
the MG PA which John Oliveau built
for Miles Collier in 1934—the Thomas,
Edgar and Coppel Specials are successful
examples. Next the MG TD came
along in 1950 with superior handling
compared to the TC. Soon the same
cycle began with the TD; first modifying
the engine, then the construction of
lightweight specials.
Often obscured by their big brothers,
the under 1,500 cc modified races and
race cars attracted an equally, if not
more, lively competition than their over
1,500 cc counterparts. During the period
of 1950 to 1956 the front- and rear-
engined cars comprising classes F,
G and H dominated the scene.
1952 with Rees Mankin's 1,092 cc cycle-
fendered MT-4 and screenwriter Randy
months later. These cars were soon
joined in the fall of 1952 by the arrival
of the O.S.C.A.s of Bill Spear and Jim
Kimberly, 1,342 cc MT-4s with clean,
functional Frua bodywork. The Spear
car immediately took a number of first
places in succession in the fall of 1952
including Elkhart Lake and Watkins
Glen prior to being sold to Bill David
of San Francisco. The MacDougall
1,092 cc O.S.C.A. was raced three times
with a DNF at the maiden outing at
Stockton (clutch), second at Torrey Pines
to von Neumann's Porsche roadster, and
fourth at the Pebble Beach races behind
Miles' R-1, David's MT-4 (1,342) and
Kieckhafer's Porsche America roadster.
Following the 1953 Pebble Beach races,
the MacDougall car was sold to Al
Coppel (today a renown writer offiction]
who campaigned the MT-4 actively
through 1955, taking second to Ken
Miles' R-1 at the 1953 Golden Gate Park
races, fourth overall at the enduro of the
1953 Stead AFB National races behind
the Ferraris of Sterling Edwards and Phil
Hill and the 1,342 MT-4 O.S.C.A. of Bill
David, third at the 1954 Golden Gate
Park Races, and in 1,342 cc engine form
first at the 1954 Palm Springs races.
Coppel made the jump to the larger
displacement engine due to his growing
tired of being gridded at the rear of the
pack when he carried a 1,092 cc class
G engine as rated by SCCA. He would
spend the early laps of every race
attempting to get around all of the
budding Fangios in their MGs that,
due to their displacement advantage,
were positioned ahead of his little
bomb on the starting grid.

A new 1500TN photographed in front of the O.S.CA factory by Urn Sitz.

20 VINTAGE RACER Number 12