Margaret Allan was born in Troon, Ayrshire, in July 1909. She was the daughter of James Allan, a member of the wealthy Scottish-Canadian family who owned the Allan Line steamship company. The Allan family were described as progressive and politically active; James’ sister was well-known suffragette Janie Allan. Allan was educated at Bedales School, noted for its liberal and unorthodox approach. Her mother encouraged her independent streak and taught her to drive at a young age.
Allan’s early competitive motorsport entries were with her family’s Lagonda, in trials events organized by the Women’s Automobile and Sports Association (WASA). In December 1930, she won the Ladies' Prize at the London-Gloucester Trial in the Lagonda, with her driving described as “neat and fast” by Motor Sport magazine. She continued to compete in trials and rally events, frequently winning class and ladies’ awards.
In 1932, Allan entered the Monte Carlo Rally with co-driver Eve Staniland in a works Riley Nine, finishing 10th overall and second in the Coupe des Dames. Later that year, with her brother Hamish as co-driver, she competed in the Alpine Trial, considered the most demanding event in Europe at the time. Driving a Wolseley Hornet, they were awarded a Glacier Cup prize for completing the trial without penalty, and Allan jointly won the Coupe des Dames alongside a teammate from Wolseley.
Also in 1932, Allan began circuit racing, persuading her father to purchase a supercharged, 2-litre Lagonda after visiting Brooklands. She debuted at Brooklands as part of the WASA entry in the Inter-Club Meeting, narrowly missing the overall Stanley Cup title by one point. In 1933, she upgraded to a 4½-litre Bentley and secured her first outright circuit race victory in the Junior Long Handicap, achieving a fastest lap of 97.65 mph. She repeated this win in the Junior Long Handicap at the Easter Meeting in 1934.
In 1934, Allan joined the works MG Cars team for the Light Car Club’s 200 mile Relay Race at Brooklands, where their all-female team finished third overall. She remained closely linked to MG and participated in the 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving a works-prepared MG PA as part of the “Dancing Daughters”, an all-female team.
1935 marked Allan’s first association with Richard Marker’s Bentley 4½ Litre, “Old Mother Gun”. Although she only achieved a second-place finish with the car that year, she was more successful in Dudley Folland’s Frazer Nash Shelsley, winning the handicap race at the August Bank Holiday Meeting with a lap best of 119.15 mph. In practice, she lapped at 127.05 mph, exceeding Earl Howe’s contemporary race record of 127 mph.
In 1936, Allan’s last full season of competitive motorsport, Marker upgraded Old Mother Gun with a 6½-litre engine. She took second place at the opening Brooklands meeting, then won the Second Whitsun Long Handicap race, averaging over 115 mph and achieving a fastest lap of 122.37 mph. This performance earned her an official 120 mph badge, making her one of only four women to achieve this at Brooklands. She also won the Ladies’ Prize at the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb with the Frazer Nash.
Allan married Christopher Jennings in 1937, later editor of The Motor, and retired from racing. They had one son and moved to Gellideg, Carmarthenshire, where Christopher became High Sheriff in 1957. Margaret Jennings died in Carmarthenshire, aged 89, in September 1998.
Following a decade away from competition, Jennings briefly returned to motorsport, winning the Ladies' Prize at the Circuit of Ireland rally in 1950.
A contributor to Motor Sport magazine assessed Allan’s racing record in 1943 as “every bit as good … as any man with comparable motor-cars.” She also became a proficient gardener, winning multiple Royal Horticultural Society prizes and exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show.
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