The Automotive Hall of Fame. Alec Issigonis. Constantine married a German lady whose name was Hulda Prokopp and in 1906 they had a baby who they named Alexander Arnold Issigonis, or Alec to his family. Diz lenda que ele considerava a rigidez . In 1942, Morris gave Issigonis overall responsibility for an all-new model; the Morris Minor. He excelled in mechanical drawing, but failed his mathematics exams three times. Im sure this was never part of Issigoniss plan, as he was anti-style, but only the 1100 benefited from external help. He was born in 1906 in a city that is now known as Izmir, in Turkey which itself can trace its . Issigonis customer in this case was Maurice Wilks, later the man behind the Land Rover. He was born on November 18, 1906 and his birthplace is Turkey. Maybe because theyd lost the Issigonis chassis manners? He was a complex man, with a complex background, family story and career. He lived with his mother to whom he was devoted, until her death in 1972, latterly in Edgbaston in Birmingham, in a large bungalow, divided into two wings. That Alvis is one of those missed opportunities that ultimately doomed the company. From 1925-1928 he studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. Alec is . And his father, a Greek by origin and British by nationality, had inherited a marine engine construction company, an activity that fascinated little Alec. Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? BMC had internally identified the need to move on from the concepts behind the Minor and A30, leaving behind the classic front engine, semi-elliptic spring concept but there was little clarity on which direction was perceived to be the way to go. There was a good reason for BMC selecting him for this task, for Issigonis was born in Izmir. The rest is racing . Meanwhile, back at the office, Issigonis had devised an independent coil spring system for the first unitary construction Morris, the 1938 Ten, but which did not go into production as Morris, conservative as ever, chose a more conventional and cheaper beam axle solution. Issigonis studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. The AROnline development story tells the tale of how this small car changed the way we looked at economy cars almost overnight. Issigonis would work on the 9X programme, which included a replacement Mini and a new and innovative gearless transmission system. He continued to be responsible for his original XC projects. Getting a guy like Issigonis to design a V8 saloon and just chucking it in the bin. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). Fascinating lost papers from the man who created the Mini and the. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . The Minor, Mini, ADO16 and Landcrab all had character, and were all friendly cars. The MG 1100 Sport Sedan a perfect choice when a two-seater MG is too small. Alec Issigonis was born in 1900s. He despised such luxuries as radios and comfortable seats, once stating I would like people to sit on nails to be extremely uncomfortable all the time. and declaring that an uncomfortable driver is an alert driver. [11], Issigonis was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1964 Birthday Honours. [], BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini in 1959. Get In Touch Call or Email. Below are all possible answers to this clue ordered by its rank. Chinese Zodiac: Alec Issigonis was born in the Year of the Rabbit. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. He also took his lunch with the workers in the local pub and travelled to this in our Bedford crew bus with wooden bench seats. My sister had an MG 1100 which blew me away in 1970. In November 1971, Issigonis officially retired from BLMC, with a major ceremony at Longbridge, for which BL marshalled an example of every car for which he had led the design, of which only the Minor was no longer in production. It was still in production when BMW, led by Bernd Pischetsreider, bought Rover in 1994. Tragically, Constantine Issigonis contracted a serious illness, and died in Malta in June 1923. His paternal grandfather, Demosthenis, had migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s and Constantine was a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer. Demosthenis's son (Alec's father) Constantine Issigonis (Greek: ), was born, with British nationality, in Smyrna in 1872. His mother was from Bavaria. He was flattered to be copied, though. He would attend the usual motor shows, but often would refuse to look in detail at the competition, so he did not become confused. He also had plans for a flat four cylinder engine, and at frequentlychallenged convention and Morris Motors conservatism. Issigonis usually won, even when entered in the 1100cc class if there was no 750cc category. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Death and commemorations 4 Some of his cars But this also reflects Issigoniss personal characteristics he was a strong minded, stubborn and arrogant man who did did not always have a lot of respect for others opinions and suggestions. Alec Issigonis. By 1939, Issigonis had replaced his modified Austin Seven with a more radical car of his own design, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting, in what we would now call a composite construction. In 1936, Issigonis moved again, to the Morris Motor Company, as a project engineer on an independent front suspension system for the Morris 10, where his experience at Rootes would start to bear fruit. Whos the richest Entrepreneur in the world? Dr.Ing. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If only it had had more power and better gearing. Unfortunately I didnt turn out quite as brilliant, but I like to think I missed out some of the stubbornness/arrogance as well. Issigonis quickly arranged for Jack Daniels to move up from Cowley to Longbridge to rebuild their close rapport. Excellent article. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. His family had to flee Smyrne to es- cape the genocide of 1922 by the Turks. When he turned his attention to the ADO16, Issigonis continued his obsession with the maximisation of passenger space combined with the best possible road holding. Issigonis's own automotive career as a designer and engineer in England first took shape during the early 1930s when he began working for the vehicle manufacturer . He and Frank Stephenson are both famous car designers. The car, as developed in a prototype form, showed potential as well as technical ambition the cars unitary construction made it relatively light and strong, it offered 6 seats, had a rear mounted transaxle, including the clutch, inboard rear brakes, long wheelbase configuration so typical of Issigonis and a modern, sophisticated 3.5 litre V8 engine. Issigonis was knighted in 1968, 1955 Morris Minor: Britains Favorite Car Bar None, And Rightly So, Austin Seven (Mini): The Future Started Here. Probably 30 of these made over the past dozen years, not quite Mini production numbers.. Another excellent piece Roger, and thank you for bringing it to us. The Mini caused a sensation with its design and rather small size in the late 1950s thanks to its inventor, the Englishman Alec Issigonis. Alec's mother, Hulda Prokopp, could trace her origins back to Wrttemberg (now part of Germany). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. [citation needed], Issigonis was nicknamed "the Greek god" by his contemporaries. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek city of Smyrna (now zmir) in the Ottoman Empire. Arguably, Issigonis and BL were in danger of being left behind. Sir Alec Issigonis. Dear Mr Day I have not met you but I feel I must write to explain a few points. It was through his mother's kinships that Issigonis was a first cousin once removed to BMW and Volkswagen director Bernd Pischetsrieder.[5]. An engineering genius and godfather of of the Mini. Cooper took the prototype out for a spin and realised this fuel-saving people's car cornered like no other. Sir Alec Constantine Issigonis, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire on November 18, 1906, is famous for designing the beloved Mini Cooper motor car. Upon meeting Alec, she is shy and ashamed . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He was a race car driver during the 30's and 40's. BMC made cuts of 6,000 in the labour force almost overnight and without consultation, whilst Lord noted the sales of the imported European bubble cars. No wonder Issigonis felt flattered I feel very, very proud that so many people have copied me.. Our tool for managing your permission to our use of cookies is temporarily offline. Alexandros Arnold Constantine Issigonis, more commonly known as Alec Issigionis, was born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, on November 18, 1906. File nella categoria "Alec Issigonis" Questa categoria contiene 5 file, indicati di seguito, su un totale di 5. Joseph Lowrey, [], The Mini hit its big landmark in 1969, a seismic year in the history of BMC>Rover. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS (November 18, 1906-October 2, 1988) was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959. His inability to accept guidance (stubbornness may be a better term) also led to some misjudged products the Maxi comes to mind but perhaps the purity of hispredominantly engineering solution with poor execution in the areas Issigonis didnt or wouldnt appreciate (looks, practicality, ergonomics, product revisions, marketing) was also overlooked by too many within BMC. Alviss options for body shell production were being reduced, at the same as the estimated costs of the body manufacture doubled. Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industrys great independent thinkers. I think you can see a narrower car in one of the pre-production photos, above. (I can remember seeing Austin Americas just a few years old being offered up for $50.) This isnt 1942. The challenge of designing the Mini was engineering a car that would seat four passengers and their luggage in a package not to exceed ten feet in length. View gallery - 6 images. [3] His paternal grandfather, Demosthenis, had migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s and Constantine was a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer. Enter your username or email to reset your password. Back in 1980 a friends father of mine who was a MP sergeant owned a then new Mini Cooper 1275 cc. [citation needed] He considered it to be a vehicle that combined many of the luxuries and conveniences of a good motor car with a price suitable for the working classes in contrast to the Mini which was a spartan mode of conveyance with everything cut to the bone. By the mid 1950s, as Europe got back on its feet after the war, there had been many attempts to define the modern car, but none was proving to be dominantly successful. In August 1959 the car was launched as the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven, which soon became known as the Austin Mini. Corrections? By early 1957, prototypes were running, and by mid-1957 the project was given an official drawing office project number (ADO15) so that the thousands of drawings required for production could be produced. Prior to his death, Alec and his mother travelled overland to London. Thanks for the great article. One tidbit I recall: when the Morris Minor design was almost finished the book showed the designer holding a brass model of the car it was decided to add a few inches of width at the centerline. Issigonis died in England in 1988 at the age of 81, having lived long enough to see his beloved Mini sell in excess of five million units. The relationship got to the point where Issigonis had the ideas, did the sketches and Daniels did the formal drawings. In 1928 his first job was in the design office of Gillett, an engineering firm in London. His name? Alexander Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna (now Izmir) in Ottoman Turkey. Austin 1800 (ADO18 Landcrab): Best In Class Or Just Plain Ugly? [17], Learn how and when to remove this template message, 1938 Issigonis Lightweight Special at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, "The creator of an iconic car: Alec Issigonis", "The Genuine MOKE | Steer clear of imitations | Story", "Pre de l'Austin "Mini" Alec Issigonis est mort", "Review of 'The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Design Since 1900 (2nd edition)', "Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. Hulda Issigonis then returned to Malta, leaving sixteen year old Alec alone in London, returning only after Constantine had died. When is Alec Issigoniss birthday? Alec Issigonis, or more formally Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis CBE FRS RDI* (1906 1988), is best known as the creator of the Mini, but he also designed two other cars that have featured on CC and that are amongst the best-selling cars in British motoring history the Morris Minor and the Austin-Morris 1100 (ADO16). In conjunction with Issigonis work, Lord contracted Pininfarina to lead the styling of BMCs new cars, starting with the conventionally engineered Austin A40 Farina in 1958. Lord (later Lord Lambury, above) had big ambitions for BMC and initially tasked Issigonis with developing the basis for a range of modern family cars to replace the existing collection of BMC products. Striving to ensure that as much space as possible was allocated to the passengers, Issigonis used Moultons compact rubber suspension and had Dunlop build 10 inch wheels and tyres just for the Mini purely for reasons of space efficiency. His name will always be associated with the Morris Minor and the Mini, but he was a complex man with a complex background, family, story and career. 1925 . Issigonis worked as a draughtsman and design engineer, and also in a sales and project engineer role, succeeding in securing Rover as a customer use the freewheel device on the new for 1933 Rover Ten (P1 series, above). Issigonis had a reputation, deserved by all accounts, for arrogance and irascibility, an inability to suffer fools at all, and restricted his contact to as a small as a group as he could. Alec Issigonis was born in Turkey. It interested me as I had the honour of working with sir Alec for around 3 months. BMC had already developed, and asked outside consultants to develop, several concepts on various themes, none of which met the targets Lord had set, who was also determined to establish an internal capability to think, as we would now say, outside the box. Great summary of a giant of industrial design. Here in Australia they didnt seem particularly small, but they were certainly a lot more roomy than the competition. The gearbox in sump was a dead end in terms of automotive design. A series engine, with gearbox beneath and side mounted radiator. View 6 Images. Alec Issigonis Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography . A truly great man and an honour for me. . Issgonis preferred to work by sketching his ideas onto Arclight pads, each numbered in sequence and retained, and then having Daniels, looking after chassis elements, or another close confidant John Sheppard, looking after the body shell itself, work to turn these in physical reality. It did not have everything Issigonis wanted, as he originally planned this car to have a V4 engine rather than the BMC A series. Alec Issigonis's mother was German, and it was on her side of the family that he was a first cousin once removed to automobile engineer and executive manager Bernd Pischetsrieder. If only it had had more power and better gearing. 2939 Words; 12 Pages; 6 Works Cited; Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles This guilt convinces Tess that she must now travel to the D'Urbervilles' home and claim kin with them. In 1956, the focus was shifted towards a new economy car and from here, the Mini was born in 1959. To get to this point wasnt easy. 41 Copy quote. https://www.mini.com/ During this time he started to build a special sprint racer with a friend. His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. In later years, the car would become known simply as the Mini. Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Alec Issigoniss mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. Issigonis was excused service in the armed forces and remained at Cowley working on military vehicles of various types, including a very basic compact load carrier often described as a motorised wheelbarrow intended for use in jungle conditions together with an amphibious version designed for use by the Royal Navy. Humber were more interested in the sales engineer than his product, and Issigonis moved to Humber in 1933. body design expertise was by Italian firm Pininfarina. [12], In 1964 Issigonis was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). More importantly, the end of the agreement also marked the end of goodwill payments from the Company that covered his nursing care, and he was forced to move from his home to a smaller flat. The original Minor design was so narrow they had to chop it lengthways and widen it. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. Even as Britain entered the 1960s, product planning remained something of an alien concept to its native carmakers, the majority of whom viewed such matters as being the sort of recondite nonsense invented in the United States, and best left there. Issigonis legacy. *27/02/01 The new Mini which will go on sale in the UK summer 2001, was , being unveiled for the first time. He convinced Issigonis to ready the Mini for the Rallye Monte Carlo. BMC . The Morris Minor was an immediate success, selling over 11 million units, and was the first characterization of Issigoniss philosophy of maximizing interior space while shrinking all other components. It was the highlight of my career and came early as I was just 18 years old and just an apprentice engineer for a tractor company. Sir Alec Issigonis ( 1906-1988 ) was an exceptional car designer who is best known for his development of the Mini.He was born in Smyrna ( Izmir ) in Turkey, the son of British-Greek parents. Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. Your email address will not be published. This led to a job at Austin, but in 1936, he moved to Morris at Cowley, where he worked on the Morris 10. It was created in response to a crisis and was a genius piece of packaging which will forever be Sir Alec Issigonis legacy to the automotive world. British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. Shunning all offers of silver service with the management. Issigoniss mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. Richard Bremneris well-known for being a highly-respected motoring scribe, but in his formative years, he worked in the employ of Austin-Rover. For many years he was known informally as Arragonis, and was either sufficiently confident in himself or sufficiently lacking in understanding to use that name himself on occasions. Learn more. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. Alec Issigonis was born in Smyrna (now Izmir) in Turkey on 18 November 1906 to a British-naturalized father of Greek origin and a Bavarian-born mother. Alec Issigonis: The Man Who Made the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, 81; Designer of Minicar And Morris Minor. Sir Alec was a combination of everything that was right AND wrong about the British car industry in his day. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. The Mini remains one of the most important motoring icons of the 1960s, so it's only natural that the band would want a piece of the action as Beatles mania took hold. Another thing Sir Alec did not think was important perhaps? At the end of 1955, Issigonis moved to BMC to head up the development of the corporations new family of cars. [4] His maternal ancestors originated in the Kingdom of Wrttemberg. This post and its visuals and videos explains this pivotal vector of the international industry with such clarity and depth. During the war, Morris Motors undertook military work, notably the development of the Morris lightweight reconnaissance vehicle for the War Department. . This was to be an advanced saloon with all aluminium V-8 engine, and the original plan was for Alvis to produce 5,000 cars a year, or ten times Alviss current production rate, to compete with Riley (not then a badge engineered BMC product), Rover, Sunbeam-Talbot and Jaguar. I hardly ever drove a Mini or an 1100, but many miles of driving a Landcrab made me understand why it was so very good, in spite of some engineering shortcuts. The first front wheel drive car from BL after Issigoniss retirement was the Austin Allegro, still with the gearbox in the sump and without the obvious hatchback. The third front wheel drive car from BMC was the 1964 ADO17 Austin 1800 (or Landcrab), a car which Issigonis has been quoted as identifying as the design he was most proud of, and then the Austin Maxi in 1969 with less successful results. In 1952, the year BMC was formed, he moved to Alvis where he designed an advanced saloon, and experimented with interconnected independent suspension systems. The first car I could identify was apparently a Mini and my mother still tells the story of an early trip to England where I wouldnt be quiet Ein Mini! Engine access on the Mini was very awkward, and this was only improved on the ADO16 because Jack Daniels was able to keep Issigonis away from the detail work, which was largely done at Cowley in Oxford rather than Longbridge. Beyond the Maxi, launched on 1969, Issigonis had left little visible influence on the new cars coming from British Leyland, and indeed, the company made definite moves that would have been unthinkable to him, such as the bold, deliberately contemporary styling of the Austin-Morris 18-22 (Princess range) or the Allegro, or the conservative engineering of the Morris Marina. [16], In 2003 he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in the United States. His efforts were concentrated on two things continuing to promote the 1968 9X concept to BLMC, and working on the concept of a gearless version of the Mini, using a torque converter, that was not a technical success. My doodles and sketches are not the work of an academic engineer. in there was a 1 hr "The Mini Man " -Sir Alec Issigonis 1906 - 1988 by great friend and car fanatic Peter Ustinov. A very enjoyable read on a man whose name I knew in conjunction with so many brilliant designs, but who I previously knew little about. ALEC ISSIGONIS Automotive Designer (1906-1988) One of the most original car designers of the modern era, ALEC ISSIGONIS (1906-1988) is best known as the creator of the Mini, but also designed two more of the five best-selling cars in British motoring history - the Morris Minor and the Austin 1100. . I remember being quite put off by the sound of the engine seemingly racing to maintain 45mph. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. As a matter of interest, go to this site: and click on the Letter From Dr. Alex Moulton link. The suspension was also of advanced design, with trailing arm front suspension attached to a steel cross-member, and swing axle rear, all with rubber springs made of catapult elastic. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. Issigonis became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was knighted in 1969. He [], DAILY EXPRESS By David Benson Harry Webster is a quiet, unassuming, generous man of 54. The innovation he created by switching the orientation of the engine, changing the traditional transmission to a transaxle and sending power to the front wheels was a magnificent idea! At the end of the Greek-Turkish war in 1922, British subjects in Smyrna were evacuated by the Royal Navy, ahead of the Turkish re-possession of the area from Greece, with manyinitially travelling to Malta. Chrysler also took a licence to manufacture the device, which was an integral part of their pioneering overdrive in 1934. Found an ad for the US market 1100. Nkter data mohou pochzet z datov poloky. It was designed to follow on from the Mini and 1100 as the next generation . Issigonis would later state that pure mathematics (is) the enemy of every truly creative man. He began his engineering career at Morris Motors Ltd. in 1936 as a steering and suspension engineer. Then of course there was severe corrosion in the face of road salt. Aos 16 mudou-se para Inglaterra onde iria cursar engenharia. He designed the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, and voted the second most influential car of the 20th century in 1999. I saw this tiny car among the Buicks Oldsmobiles Mercurys and Chevrolet Impalas that were the usual fare. Alec is also well known as, British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio and was born in the G.I. Autokonstrukteur, GBPortrt mit Zigarette- 1959. I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. In March 1957 Lord asked (more likely told, as Lord did not do asking) Issigonis to come up with something to compete with them. At this time, he was working for Maurice Olley. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. Alec Issigoniss birth sign is Scorpio and he had a ruling planet of Pluto.

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