Adopted at birth, Ian, born David William Allan, was the son of a journalist from Hampstead. Born in London, he moved to Bletchingley after adoption. Both his adoptees and his natural parents were Scottish. An engineer and former chief instructor at the Cooper Racing School, Ian was jailed for 10 years for alleged drug dealing. Later lived a quiet life in Middlesex, and in recent years was in poor health. Formerly lived in a number of different European locations. Despite illness and increased fragility, he still tried to keep links with the sport and his old racing friends. Died after suffering from heart disease and diabetes. He also worked as sales and office manager for Cooper, ran his own company - Laminates Ltd - which manufactured glass-fibre bodies for cars and boats, lived in Greece, where he ran two factories dedicated to prefabricated housing and a yacht charter business in Spain.

Biography last updated 30 Apr 2024