Henry Clifford Allison

Allison began racing in a Formula Three Cooper 500 in 1953 before being noticed by Colin Chapman. He won the Index of Performance prize at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a 744cc Lotus. He and Chapman then finished sixth together in the 1958 12 Hours of Sebring. At the 1958 Grand Prix of Europe at Spa-Francorchamps, Allison finished fourth in his Lotus, more than four minutes behind winner Tony Brooks.

In June 1959, Allison shared a Ferrari with Dan Gurney in the 1000 km Nürburgring, one of seventy-five entries in that world championship sports car race. He was paired with Jean Behra in a Ferrari that finished second at the 1959 12 Hours of Sebring; the pair received $1,500 in prize money and Allison was credited with the fastest lap of the race, clocked at 3 minutes 21.6 seconds on the 97th lap of the 5.2-mile course.

During practice for the 8 May 1960 Targa Florio near Palermo, Sicily, Allison's No. 196 Ferrari 250 TRI left the road after what he believed was a tyre burst at approximately 100 mph on the Buonfornello straight. The car was destroyed, but Allison escaped without injury and started the race in the No. 202 car.

Allison's Lotus was forced into numerous pit stops during the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix and finished sixth, twelve laps behind winner Maurice Trintignant.

Ferrari's 1959 driver lineup comprised Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill, Tony Brooks, Jean Behra, Dan Gurney, and Allison. At the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari fielded shortened versions of their regular cars, with the long nose sections cut away for improved cooling on the street circuit. Allison's Formula 2 Ferrari collided with Wolfgang von Trips after von Trips lost control of his Porsche in a steeply inclined bend; the Lotus of Bruce Halford then struck the pile. Allison's car suffered the least damage while von Trips received a facial gash and Halford a cut arm; none of the three could continue.

Before the 1959 German Grand Prix at AVUS, Jean Behra was fired from Ferrari and was subsequently killed driving a Porsche sportscar on the banking. Extended practice over three days was held for the new circuit, and the race was run in two heats. Allison, in a reserve-entry Ferrari, set the fastest practice lap on Friday at 2:05.8, one tenth ahead of Tony Brooks at 2:05.9. Because Brooks was a regular entrant, he started from pole; Allison and Ian Burgess were permitted to start only from the back after two other entries were withdrawn. Allison's car suffered clutch failure after two laps. The corpus notes this as the only occasion in Formula One history that the fastest qualifier was denied pole position solely on the basis of the car's entry status.

In the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix, Allison recorded his best Formula One result, finishing second. He then suffered a severe crash during practice for the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix on 29 May, his Ferrari striking a straw barrier, leaving him unconscious. He sustained a broken left arm, rib fractures, facial cuts, and a concussion and was listed in serious condition; recovery occupied almost the remainder of the year.

Returning the following year, Allison crashed again during practice for the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix, his Lotus leaving the course and overturning in a field. He broke both knees and fractured his pelvis, ending his motorsport career.

After retiring from racing, Allison maintained contact with the sport through paddock visits and reunions. He owned and managed Allison's Garage in Brough, a business founded by his father, and also drove the village and school bus services.

This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.