Allan Staniforth

Allan Staniforth (1924 – 2 May 2009) was a British journalist and engineer, notable as the joint-designer of the Terrapin style race car.[1][2][3]

Early life

Staniforth was born in Kings Norton in Birmingham, England to jeweller Arthur Staniforth and Maude Cross. He flew in the Royal Air Force during World War II and was a navigator during the Berlin Blockade in 1948. He suffered hearing loss which he attributed to the flying of the Lancaster Bomber.[4][5][6]

Career

Staniforth worked as a journalist for the Daily Mirror, writing reports on various subjects such as The Troubles, the Cod Wars and the Moors murders. Although he was well regarded in the journalism world, he is most notable for his motor racing hobby. He published books on the subject invented the small Terrapin car based on the A-series Mini engine.[7][8][9][10]

In 1969 he wrote his first book High Speed, Low Cost where he described how to construct the Terrapin Hillclimb. He would use these cars to set fastest times in competitions around Britain.[11][12][9]

Publications
  • High speed, low cost: The full Terrapin story (1969)
  • Race & rally car source book: A D.I.Y. guide to building or modifying a race or rally car (1983)
  • Competition Car Suspension: Design, Construction, Tuning (1989)
  • Race and Rally Car Source Book – 30th Anniversary Edition: The Guide to Building or Modifying a Competition Car (2013)

References
  1. "So ...what are Terrapins?". Terrapin Racing.
  2. Booij, Jeroen (19 March 2009). Maximum Mini: The Definitive Book of Cars Based on the Original Mini. Veloce Publishing Ltd. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-1845841546.
  3. Engineering, Racecar (7 May 2009). "Allan Staniforth". Racecar Engineering. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  4. "Allan Staniforth". The Yorkshire Post. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  5. Staniforth, Allan (1973). High Speed – Low Cost: Allan Staniforth: 9780850591200: Amazon.com: Books. ISBN 0850591201.
  6. "FSG: Allan Staniforth - Obituary". formulastudent.de. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  7. "Formula Student Germany: Allan Staniforth – Obituary". formulastudent.de.
  8. "Competition Car Suspension – Allan Staniforth – Haynes". Retrieved 21 December 2018 – via Scribd.
  9. Booij, Jeroen (2009). Maximum Mini: The Definitive Book of Cars Based on the Original Mini. Veloce Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 9781845841546. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  10. Short, Phil; Wilkinson, Steve (2007). Hillclimbing & Sprinting: The Essential Manual. Veloce Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 9781845845063.
  11. "Allan Staniforth". Racecar Engineering. 7 May 2009.
  12. "Allan Staniforth". Motor Sport. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
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