Contents Early life and education Career Legacy Honours Some of his cars Issigonis (standing) with the special at Shelsey Walsh hillclimb. 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. In 1922 the family left Turkey for England, as all British people were banished from the country. Issigonis then went back to the British Motor Corporation, where the influence of many political factors led him to his major breakthrough. Issigonis with XC/9001, the car that became the Landcrab. I got to drive his Red mini when I went for fish and chips on a Friday. XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the Morris 1100 with the Hydrolastic interconnected suspension system in August 1962. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS terkenal kerana menjadi pencipta kereta Mini yang menjadi ikon tahun 1960-an. A more powerful engine, bigger brakes and a few tuning tweaks later, the Classic Mini Cooper 997 was introduced. [10], There is a road named "Alec Issigonis Way" in the Oxford Business Park on the former site of the Morris Motors factory in Cowley, Oxfordshire. A series engine, with gearbox beneath and side mounted radiator. His father Constantine Issigonis was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from Paros. The above photo is a publicity shot with the first produced Mini, at his retirement in 1972. Yes, it ran like hell when operable as the owner treated it like an Army Jeep. Decades later, despite enormous further developments, the vehicle has lost none of its initial charm. . I saw one, in 79 or 80, sold here as the MG Sports Sedan. As a young man, Constantine was sent to England to study, and he later married Hulda Prokopp, the daughter of a wealthy German brewer in Smyrna. He didnt say by 1974 in regard to VW and Renault. People over the road from us had a Wolseley Six (top of the range Landcrab) when we were kids. Gillett was developing a freewheel device for use on cars, partly as a refinement and fuel economy device, and partly to reduce the need for double declutching gearchanges in the pre-synchromesh era. He was able to share his engineering and automotive interests, through frequent tours of Longbridge in the 1960s, with a first cousin once removed on his mothers side of his family, who later completed a mechanical engineering degree and followed a career in the motor industry. German Engineer Who Designed And Built The First Practical Automobile (Crossword ClueThe crossword clue German engineer who designed and built the first practical automobile. They paid him to design a tractor safety cab after their own designers had 3 attempts and we built 3 failures. In October, 1957, just eight months after first putting pen to paper, the first prototypes were on the road. 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. Twitter; German Engineer Who Designed And Built The First Practical Automobile 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. [citation needed], Issigonis was nicknamed "the Greek god" by his contemporaries. It did get Hydrolastic eventually, then lose it again. Issigonis, The Mini Mastermind - On This Day Therefore, when Alec's father, Constantine Issigonis, was born in Smyrna in 1872, he was also a British national. Born in Turkey, Issigonis come to England as a teenager. Issigonis was born in Smyrna in 1906. Discover what happened on this day. [], BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini in 1959. By 1945, a full scale static prototype close to the familiar production form was completed. 8050 Alec Issigonis Way, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX4 2HW. JUMP TO: Alec Issigoniss biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos and related celebs. Sixty years ago today . In 1961, a shipload of Minis suffered mild water damage on their journey to the east coast of US. [], The Mini is 63 years old this week. 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! Much ADO About Project 15: A History of the Classic Mini You could, however, discern Issigoniss influence on some of BMCs light commercials, especially the underfloor engined JU and walk through EA vans of the late 1960s. He showed that cars could be practical and pleasant to ride in and drive, and that size was not everything; he defined the template for the small petrol engined car for 50 years, maybe longer, and showed how modest cars could become wish list items, attracting customer such as Enzo Ferrari. I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. After briefly working elsewhere in the early 1950s, Issigonis returned to what had become the British Motor Corp., where in 1959, in response to the Suez energy crisis (1956) and the popularity of Germanys Volkswagen Beetle, he introduced the Mini. Issigonis was a remarkable engineer and obviously made his mark. By 1941, Issigonis had started work on an advanced post war car, then codenamed Mosquito, which became the Morris Minor. British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. I was eight when my dad bought one of those brand new cars at a reduced price from the NYC dealer $850 for an Austin 850 ($6,800 in 2016 money) 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. He became the engineering director of the British Motor Corporation in 1964, and was . Addresses | OxfordBiomedica Issigonis was dismissive of market research, The public dont know what they want; its my job to tell them and even mathematics, derided as the enemy of every truly creative man. Aos 16 mudou-se para Inglaterra onde iria cursar engenharia. BLMC says, Archive : Lord Stokes writes to Alec Issigonis, Archive : How Harry Webster is going to shape your car, Archive : The Thoughts of Chairman Stokes, Archive : Issigonis The Giant Who Thought Small, Archive : Creative role for Issigonis in BMC board switch, Archive : Mr Issigonis looks to the future, Archive : Interview Motor meets Alec Issigonis, The cars : Alfa Romeo Alfasud development story, Opinion : Celebrating 40 years of the Austin Maestro, Essay : Austin Maestro styling the real killer, Concepts and prototypes : LM10 and LM11 facelifts, Archive : Coventry Council Debates Rover Crisis, News : PSA confirms continued van production in Luton. Young Alec grew up in a very affluent environment, with influences from Germany and Greece (he grew up speaking German and Greek), rather than Turkey and Britain. Thanks for this terrific bio on one of the all-time greats in the field. Unless it was at some very small, unique company; something like TVR comes to mind. Learn more. His family had to flee Smyrne to es- cape the genocide of 1922 by the Turks. Just re-watched the documentary about Issigonis, which has a great deal on the lightweight special It was 1999 channel 4 a full evenings programmes devoted to the 40th anniversary of the Mini. The Landcrab and Maxi were so butt ugly that no self respecting petrolhead would be seen it one. I wonder if he was to blame for the Mini never having a hatchback, or a more softly suspended version? I think you can see a narrower car in one of the pre-production photos, above. MG 1100/1300 Register - NAMGBR Joseph Lowrey, [], The Mini hit its big landmark in 1969, a seismic year in the history of BMC>Rover. Alec Issigonis: The Man Who Made the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, 81; Designer of Minicar And Morris Minor. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Biography: Sir Alec Issigonis The Designer of Britains Favourite Cars, Britains Favourite Car Designer, I have labelled it the Most Significant Car of the 1940s, Vintage R&T Technical Analysis: AMCs New Pacer As Short As A Pinto; As Wide As A Chevelle, Vintage Car Life Comparison: 1961 VW Bus, Corvair Greenbrier, and Ford Econoline Wherein A 40 HP VW Bus Ties An 80 HP Greenbrier In The 1/4 Mile, Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: NSU Ro80 Just Your Typical Bay Area Car Show, The CC Graveyard: Part Three An Exotic Foreigner Hiding In The Bushes, Wordless Outtake: Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Renault, MAN The Subcontractors Sixsome, BOAL: 1982 Honda GL500 Silverwing Chapter 5, The Baby Wing. 10 Things Everyone Forgot About Mini And Its Cars The Greek Designer of the Iconic British Mini Car - GreekReporter.com During the war, Morris Motors undertook military work, notably the development of the Morris lightweight reconnaissance vehicle for the War Department. Contact - Oxbotica 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. I saw that same car several times, so, at least in nice weather, it apparently was a daily driver. The closure of the Suez canal created . His name? 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. At the end of 1955, Issigonis moved to BMC to head up the development of the corporations new family of cars. meantime, John preferred his psychedelic Rolls .. Roger, hats off for this excellent treatment of an engineering legend. There is a truck factory in the city of Izmir, on the western Mediterranean coast of Turkey, builtby the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1967, and which still builds vehiclesunder the BMC brand. Alec Issigonis An expert is someone who tells you why you can't do something. It was as modern and progressive in 1948 as the ADO16 Morris 1100 was in 1962, and let down only by the relatively weak and old side valve engine. On the surface it didnt appear very desirable to Me, or to prospective new-car buyers. Nkter data mohou pochzet z datov poloky. PDF SIR ALEC ISSIGONIS was an automobile engineer whose name will always be Sir Alec Issigonis | British automobile designer | Britannica The MG 1100 Sport Sedan a perfect choice when a two-seater MG is too small. [citation needed] Issigonis often commented to friends and colleagues that the Austin 1800 (ADO17) was the design he was most proud of, even though it never was as commercially successful as his three preceding designs. Alec Issigonis, the brilliant British designer of the Morris Minor and the Mini, is one of the commanding figures in the history of automobile design and engineering. On the right is Alec Issigonis and standing next to him is John Cooper. is bigger, and is just one of a family of related models. It was also a specialist low volume producer of expensive, exclusive sports saloons cars not now associated with Issigonis and was at the same crossroads that so many smaller, upscale producers had been. The cars design with its front wheel drive and independent suspension provided good road handling, but Issigonis had scant regard for passenger comfort. After these cars, and the formation of British Leyland in 1968, Issigonis was sidelined by a new influx of engineers led by Triumphs Harry Webster. Red: Yeah, its mine. There were, as CC has seen, many and varied reasons for the failure of the Landcrab and Maxi: the control (or rather the lack of it) exercised by Lord and Harriman over Issigonis; the inherited components; and marketing and production issues. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. 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. When we stopped sending children up chimneys we reemployed them to work or minis. But beneath this surface, he was a sensitive and more vulnerable person, and was almost certainly (and inexcusably) the subject of some intolerance and prejudice from the UK born staff. Noch ein Mini! This car basically took the Mini concept and enlarged it by 20%, adding some experience, and ambition, at the same time. Most events he entered were sprints and hillclimbs, but he also competed in some circuit races. Sir Alec Issigonis | Autopedia | Fandom Stokes was heard on his appointment to say: "We'll sharp sort this bloke Issigonis out!". My Family's Cars and Industry Pivots: Transverse Mounted Front Wheel Drive 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. 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. At the time of his retirement, 71, hatchbacks were not the thing they were 4 years later. 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. . The [], CARS AND DRIVERS by GEOFFREY CHARLES Whatever the outcome of the BMH-Leyland merger in model rationalization, intensified marketing or expansion-and any joint project will not appear for at least 3 [], MOTOR WHY IS THE ADO16? Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industry's great independent thinkers. At the age of 30 he worked for the Morris Engineering Department and celebrated his first success with the construction of the Morris Minor. Alecs father, Constantine Issigonis, who was born in Smyrna in 1872, studied in England, and subsequently returned to Smyrna, keeping the engineering business going through the First World War and maintaining his British citizenship. He remained on the BL books as a consultant until 1988, shortly before his death. Harris Mann, having a clean sheet, not giving the Allegro or Princess a hatch in the mid 70s is another matter. Issigonis was probably privately satisfied with that arrangement, as it took him away from the daily grind of corporate management and designing production ready cars and back into the more conceptual field where he had the opportunity to use his innovative skills the kind of role Leonard Lord had originally given him twelve years earlier and which led to the Mini and the ADO16. The last sighting was of a 71 America, in 81, and looking very well cared for. Its entirely believable that Issigonis would have been prosecuted if hed had gay sex. When Alvis cancelled the project, Issigonis was invited by BMC Chairman Sir Leonard Lord to return to BMC at Longbridge, as Chief Body and Chassis engineer, and reporting to BMC Technical Director Sydney Smith. [], By Clifford Webb British Leyland are selling the Mini at a loss despite the latest price increase and the fact that after 14 years it is still their top export [], Lord Stokes writes to Sir Alec Issigonis on this day. Lord Alfred Robens , Chairman of the National Coal Board, wearing cap and gown as he is installed as the new Chancellor of the University of . I appreciate the research the depth and the smooth writing style to present it all in a gripping way. The initials "G.I." He was born in 1906 in a city that is now known as Izmir, in Turkey which itself can trace its . It was apparent to Morriss senior managers that Issigonis was cut from a different cloth compared to his contemporaries. He excelled in mechanical drawing, but failed his mathematics exams three times. 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.. Alec Issigonis . In 1952, the year BMC was formed, he moved to Alvis where he designed an advanced saloon, and experimented with interconnected independent suspension systems. He convinced Issigonis to ready the Mini for the Rallye Monte Carlo. His retirement gift from the company was the largest available Meccano set, complete with a steam engine. The rest is racing . Having failed his mathematics exams three times, subsequently declaring it 'the most uncreative subject you can study',[3] Issigonis decided to enter the University of London External Programme to complete his university education. Enter the length or pattern for better results. The key point to the genesis of the Minor is that Issigonis owned the whole design, including the exterior style, the interior,which had some of the starkness and simple functionality familiar from Issigoniss later designs. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. The change was not handled well though, with credible accounts of a literally tearful Issigonis wandering around Longbridge trying to find a new office after returning from abroad to find Webster occupying his office. In 1968, he was appointed as Director of Advanced Research of the newly formed British Leyland, and Harry Webster from Triumph became BLMCs Engineering Director. Plenty of space and comfort in the back, as I recall, but my fathers Rover P6 was much more stylish. Alec Issigonis - Trivia, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays 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. Alec Issigonis: The Greek Creator of the Mini Car . It was through his mother's kinships that Issigonis was a first cousin once removed to BMW and Volkswagen director Bernd Pischetsrieder.[5]. It was 1961 when the humble little people-mover fell into the hands of British racing legend John Cooper. Enter your username or email to reset your password. The Minor was, of course, a huge success, for Nuffield and for Issigonis. His love/hate relationship with the companys products stayed with []. The all-new Mini will be revealed today, on what would have been Mini creator Sir Alec Issigonis's 107th birthday. I wanted to know the genesis. However, at the end of 1956, following fuel rationing brought about by the Suez Crisis, Issigonis was ordered by Lord to bring the smaller car, XC/9003, to production as quickly as possible. Speaking of steering, one of the earlier reviews of the Mini contained the sentence, This is the first car Ive driven that caused me to laugh out loud just going around a corner ! Or words to that effect . Nice to see that blue Morris Oxford just the same as our first car that I remember. As his father studied in London, being an engineer, the family were British subjects and were thus evacuated to Malta by the Royal Navy in September 1922, ahead of the Great Fire of Smyrna at the end of the . Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. I tell you the last time I was that close to a Japanese machine, it was shooting at me.. He was involved in engine design as well, requesting unsuccessfully that BL build 4 and 6 cylinder engines for Mini variants. He inherited his great interest in technology and machines from his father who, shortly after the turn . Ford clinging to the T too long was the same sort of corporate inertia that had VW clinging to the Bug too long. 41 Copy quote. Alec Issigonis. How about an uncomfortable driver is a distracted driver? Constantine was very proud of his British citizenship and Alec grew up in a traditional British type of household. However, his story proves: never give up your dreams even if life puts obstacles in your way. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. Cooper took the prototype out for a spin and realised this fuel-saving people's car cornered like no other. It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. Alternate titles: Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. He would attend the usual motor shows, but often would refuse to look in detail at the competition, so he did not become confused. Sir Alec Issigonis 1906 - 1988 - Solar Navigator As a Morris Minor owner I appreciated it . Comments about the bus-like steering wheel angle remind me of what I learned about that subject from my Italian cars (Fiats): the relatively horizontal wheel requires/enables the driver to push forward, rather than up, to make a turn a difference that makes better use of the arm, translating to easier and less tiring driving. https://www.mini.com/ Alec Issigonis | Automotive Hall of Fame Ive often wondered how its 35 horses managed the Berkshires . His mother was from Bavaria. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . O interesse pelo automvel veio aos 12 anos, quando ele viu um pela primeira vez. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. Birth Name: Alec Issigonis Occupation: Entrepreneur Place Of Birth: Turkey Date Of Birth: November 18, 1906 Date Of Death: October 2, 1988 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: Greek Alec Issigonis was born on the 18th of November, 1906. 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. The XC (experimental car) code names assigned for the new cars were XC/9001 - for a large comfortable car, XC/9002 - for a medium-sized family car, and XC/9003 . Absolutely brilliant article about an engineering genius. Many did not even make it through the warranty period without the transmission self-destructing. 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 . His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. My appreciation of Issigonis designs really came when Auntie Merle traded her Austin A30 (horrible car) for a Morris 1100. Beatles' Minis: Cars belonging to McCartney, Harrison and Ringo are on We now call them Real Minis, to distinguish them from the post 2001 imitations. Alec Issigoniss mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. The suspension was trailing arms at the front, attached to a steel cross-member, and a swing axle rear, all with rubber springs made of catapult elastic. Biography: Sir Alec Issigonis - Curbside Classic Alec Issigonis Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS, RDI (Alec Issigonis) was born on 18 November 1906 in Smyrna in Greece (now Izmir, Turkey) and would become world-renowned for designing the Mini and Morris Minor for BMC. Mini: a brief history - The Telegraph . Alec Issigonis nasceu na Turquia Filho de um grego naturalizado britnico casado com uma turca. His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. And the result was the creation of more than just an economical car. Sir Alec Issigonis, in full Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, (born Nov. 18, 1906, Smyrna [now zmir], Tur.died Oct. 2, 1988, Birmingham, Eng. Issigonis and Dowson then travelled into Austria to the mountain climb competition at the then new Grossglockner Hochalpen Pass. Here in Australia they didnt seem particularly small, but they were certainly a lot more roomy than the competition. This was the man who persisted in pursuing a gearless car using only a torque converter, who rubbished CAD in favour of slide rules, who did most of his designs in rough and passed them to his acolytes to make real. Issigonis designed the most enduring small cars of the twentieth century, the Morris Minor (1948) and the Mini (1959) - a testament to his insistence that 'styled' cars dated quickly. . Born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire (now zmir, Turkey) on November 18, 1906, Issigonis immigrated to England with his family in 1922 and later studied engineering at . as an American familiar only with U.S. cars. August 26, 2019. Omissions? 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.