One podium only

Cliff Allison (8 Feb 1932 – 7 April 2005) was a British racing driver from England, who raced in Formula One during the seasons 1958 to 1961 for the Lotus, Scuderia Centro Sud, Ferrari and Laystall teams. Picture above: Cliff Allison, at the wheel of a Ferrari D246, Argentina 1960, where he finished in second place.

Cliff Allison started his career in a Formula 3 Cooper in 1953, before being spotted by Colin Chapman. They even raced together, the Lotus of Allison and Colin Chapman (yes, as a driver!) finished sixth in the 1958 Sebring 12 Hours.

Chapman gave the Englishman a chance to prove his worth in Formula One in 1958, and Allison (Lotus) finished fourth at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, albeit 4 minutes behind winner Tony Brooks (Vanwall).

He then moved to Ferrari for the 1959 and 1960 seasons. Best result of his career in Formula One came at the 1960 Argentinian Grand Prix where four Ferrari’s were entered for Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips, Froilán Gonzales and Cliff Allison.

The English driver did well to qualify his Ferrari Dino 246, within a few tenths of his prestigious team-mates, drove a careful race without any problems, and finished in second place, 26 seconds behind the Cooper-Climax of winner Bruce McLaren. This podium was going to remain the only one for Cliff Allison.