John S Allen

Born in Leeds, John S Allen studied accountancy after leaving school. The introduction of the Ford GT40 made him realise that sports car racing was much more interesting. He first saw a GT40 at Croft, over the winter of 1965/66, and wanted to see more. In 1968 he managed a trip to Le Mans, where he saw a GT40 take a Championship-winning victory, and the next year he was in the grandstands once again, cheering Jacky Ickx on to an amazingly close-fought win. Eventually John clocked up 24 consecutive visits to the Le Mans 24 Hours, stopping only after 1991 when circuit changes – especially to the paddock, where he had spent so many happy hours talking to people and photographing their cars – prompted him to give up before the magic wore off. His first book on the GT40 was published in 1981. More followed, majoring on GT40s but also including three on Porsches. His sports car photographs appear from time to time in magazines and in books written by others. For several years he compiled and edited the magazine Fortyfication, for the GT40 Enthusiasts Club, his task being helped by his having photographed around 90 original GT40s. Few people have seen more. John and his wife Jenny live in the quiet and calm of rural south-west France.