Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS (18 November 1906-2 October 1988) was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959. [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 a Crossword Clue Sort by Length Another Mini! The relationship got to the point where Issigonis had the ideas, did the sketches and Daniels did the formal drawings. George Harriman, Leonard Lord and Alec Issogonis. His love/hate relationship with the companys products stayed with []. There was a long drive way that ran along the school cafeteria that parents used to drop off students in the morning. BMC was producing over 11,000 Issigonis-designed front-wheel-drive models a week, with demand still exceeding production, which was continually increased. He left Morris in 1952 for Alvis just as BMC was created from Austin and Morris (as well as Riley, Wolseley and MG).. Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Cyber Sales Event Jewelry & Accessories Clothing & Shoes Innovative. Again,Issigonis was able to get close to some of the most impressive cars of the era, and take ideas and influences home. He was known for being a Entrepreneur. During 1956 Issigonis concentrated on the larger two cars, producing several prototypes for testing. But, as ever, events intervened in this case the Suez Crisis of 1956, complete with petrol rationing. 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. Issigonis never had any input into MG sports cars or the large, rear drive saloons BMC were still building the late 1960s, and the Austin 3 Litre, based on Issigoniss Austin 1800 was driven by George Harriman. with 8 letters was last seen on the March 01, 2023.We found 20 possible solutions for this clue. It did not have everything Issigonis wanted, as he originally planned this car to have a V4 engine rather than the BMC A series. He said the engine was turning 4500 rpm at 68 mph and commented, This seems fast enough for an obsolete three-bearing long-stroke engine., Digging up the articles is left as an exercise for the student. in there was a 1 hr "The Mini Man " -Sir Alec Issigonis 1906 - 1988 by great friend and car fanatic Peter Ustinov. So in here in the U.S. the ADO16 went down in obscurity, while its far less sophisticated but more reliable competition built by the Axis powers took over the small car market. Certainly, it was not the right job for him, taking him too far away from the sketching and ideas, and into meetings about pay scale reviews and marketing policies. The Mini caused a sensation with its design and rather small size in the late 1950s thanks to its inventor, the Englishman Alec Issigonis. Another Mini!). The Mini, and the other Issigonis BMC front wheel drive cars, benefited from Issigonis continuing collaboration with Alex Moulton and his suspension system developments. 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 . " Sir Alec Issigonis. The above photo is a publicity shot with the first produced Mini, at his retirement in 1972. I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. 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) On his side, Issigonis built a large model railway in the double garage that ran out through the walls and around the garden. The Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum is now home to the Issigonis Prototype 1970 Mini 9X 'Gearless', donated to the Museum by the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon, Warwickshire. He convinced Issigonis to ready the Mini for the Rallye Monte Carlo. He was impossible to work with, had Henry Fords arrogance and nearly bankrupted the company like Ford, by refusing to listen to anyone. Therefore some functionality is missing. Tragically, Constantine Issigonis contracted a serious illness, and died in Malta in June 1923. 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 . 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. 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 . He didnt give a damn about the poor sods who had to work on his cars. Born in Turkey, Issigonis come to England as a teenager. During 1967, Sir Alec Issigonis approached his BMH* superiors, asking to be temporarily relieved of day to day duties so that he could devote himself to a new vehicle project, one intended to directly replace the Mini. Smrna was then the second city of the Ottoman Empire and had a local population of around one million, of which more than half were Greek. He and Frank Stephenson are both famous car designers. 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. . Cooper took the prototype out for a spin and realised this fuel-saving people's car cornered like no other. Well, he went down in history as the father of the Mini and was even raised to nobility for his services. 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. 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. My doodles and sketches are not the work of an academic engineer. Sir Alec Issigonis hadn't even seen a car until he was 12 years old. Alec Issigonis was already known for his popular and respected Morris Minor. I saw that same car several times, so, at least in nice weather, it apparently was a daily driver. As such he was of the generation who experienced the privations of two apocalyptic world wars. [13], He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1967. Professor Alex Moulton. [5]:277. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. August 26, 2019. MINI. Oxford Office. Are you sure Renault had transverse-engine hatchbacks by 1974? In 1961, he became Technical and oversaw the launch of the 1100, 1800 and Maxi all hugely advanced machines, with front-wheel drive, in-sump gearboxes, and interconnected suspension. Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the Morris 1100 with the Hydrolastic interconnected suspension system in August 1962. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? He was a race car driver during the 30s and 40s. 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. 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. Updates? He was appointed to this post by Lords successor, Sir George Harriman, who was even more in awe of him than Lord was, but also was even more unable to control and guide Issigonis. 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. 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. The strengths of this sign are being resourceful, brave, passionate, a true friend, while weaknesses can be distrusting, jealous, secretive and violent. Issigonis was to use Moultons suspension ideas on all his future cars, with Moulton working in a consultancy capacity to BMC. Towards the end of WW2, he began work on the Mosquito project, which ended up being launched in 1948 as the Morris Minor. The cars design with its front wheel drive and independent suspension provided good road handling, but Issigonis had scant regard for passenger comfort. I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. This strong streak of fierce independence and lack of compromise hid his lateral approach to the design and engineering of cars. . The image his cars achieved for BMC was arguably a factor in the survival of the company in the market place, and BMC used his personality extensively in advertising whichyou can imagine Issigonis publicly hating but privately loving. Given his disrupted education, unusual background and the tough economic times that were the late 1920s, finding a job was not easy, but in 1928, and by now a British citizen in his own right, Issigonis took his first job in the motor industry, for Edward Gillett in London, through a networking contact he had made at Battersea. In 1952, the year BMC was formed, he moved to Alvis where he designed an advanced saloon, and experimented with interconnected independent suspension systems. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. [12], In 1964 Issigonis was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born in Smyrna, on November 18, 1906 and he is the man who designed one of the most beloved cars in the world, the legendary Mini Cooper! The cars quickly found their way to the scrapheap since the cost of repairing the automatic transmission typically was more than the car was worth. In August 1971, Issigonis drove the 2 millionth ADO16 off the line, as the same time as a Mini Clubman, which was the 5 millionth front wheel drive BMC car, came off the line in the next building. Ruling Planet: Alec Issigonis had a ruling planet of Pluto and has a ruling planet of Pluto. If only it had had more power and better gearing. 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. Copyright 2023. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . 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. I appreciate the research the depth and the smooth writing style to present it all in a gripping way. [4] The closure of the Suez canal created . 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. Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. In 1942, the first scale model was produced and the following year work began on a hand-formed steel prototype. It confronted the conservative image of BMC head on, even if the rest of BMC range didnt. In 1961, a shipload of Minis suffered mild water damage on their journey to the east coast of US. Issigonis became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was knighted in 1969. Mr. Front-Wheel Drive: Sir Alec Issigonis . A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE OF THE MINI FOUNDER. He also had plans for a flat four cylinder engine, and at frequentlychallenged convention and Morris Motors conservatism. This prototype never saw the light of day mores the pity. Issigonis planned two versions, known as the TA/350 with a 3.5 litre V8 and TA/175 with a 1750cc, V4 engine. Enter the length or pattern for better results. It interested me as I had the honour of working with sir Alec for around 3 months. It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. * Commander of the British Empire (1964), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1967), Royal Designer for Industry (1964). is bigger, and is just one of a family of related models. Iconic. He became the engineering director of the British Motor Corporation in 1964, and was . (I can remember seeing Austin Americas just a few years old being offered up for $50.) info@oxbotica.com +44 (0)1865 433 998. I wonder if he was to blame for the Mini never having a hatchback, or a more softly suspended version? 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. 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. Great article there should be a movie about Issigonis! It is really amazing, when you think of it, that some 60 years later his basic vision rolls off of assembly lines all over the world. 41 Copy quote. Then of course there was severe corrosion in the face of road salt. The Automotive Hall of Fame. Matchbox featured an MG 1100 in its 1-75 line-up for many years. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. 104 Alec Issigonis Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 104 Alec Issigonis Premium High Res Photos Browse 104 alec issigonis stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. He failed his degree course but gained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering, at the third attempt, in 1928. Issigonis (standing) with the special at Shelsey Walsh hillclimb. But his true interest was in the 9X and its power unit, and getting a version of it accepted by BL. Friendly was ideal for owner-buyers, a large part of the British car buying public, but never appealed to thrusting young execs and salesmen, which is why BLMC was so desperate for the Marina to crack the fleet market. The Landcrab and Maxi were so butt ugly that no self respecting petrolhead would be seen it one. BL were in thrall of the myth theyd created, but the buying public had much more sense. [], In Part One of this fascinating series, which originally appeared in Vehicle Engineer,AROnline Contributor IanElliott applies his insider knowledge to spelling out the exact sequence of mergers that led to [], Photography: Martin Bell One of the design team who worked on the original Mini has revealed how the revolutionary small car came about. Encouraged by the success of the Morris Minor, Issigonis continued his design work at Morris (including work on a replacement for the Minor with a transverse 4 cylinderengine with an endon gearbox) until the merger with the Austin in 1952 to form BMC. 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. Post FROM OUR MIDLAND CORRESPONDENT BIRMINGHAM, Nov. 13 The name of the man who will head the British Motor Corporations new amalgamated design unit when []. O interesse pelo automvel veio aos 12 anos, quando ele viu um pela primeira vez. Looking at the Minor or the Mini, I can believe that. He often had to be discreetly talked through financial documents when he was in the board meetings. Alexandros Arnold Constantine Issigonis, more commonly known as Alec Issigionis, was born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, on November 18, 1906. 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. XC/9001 became ADO17 and was launched, also with the Hydrolastic suspension system, as the Austin 1800 in October 1964.The same principle was carried over for his next production car the Austin Maxi, However, by then he had become more aware of the cost considerations of vehicle manufacture and in service warranty costs which were crippling BMC. 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. . He still worked to his consultancy agreement but did so almost exclusively from home, briefing and debriefing nominated BL engineers each morning. Alec Issigonis was born in 1900s. An amazing man, and someone who would probably never rise to prominence in todays auto industry. It was apparent to Morriss senior managers that Issigonis was cut from a different cloth compared to his contemporaries. [7] This ground-breaking design, with its front wheel drive, transverse engine, sump gearbox, 10-inch wheels, and phenomenal space efficiency, was still being manufactured in 2000 and has been the inspiration for almost all small front-wheel drive cars produced since the early 1960s. While much derided for its lack of style, I do love the huge smile he put on the front of the original 1800 Landcrab. His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. BMC . John Sheppard spent 20 years working with [], Richard Aucock 40 years ago this month, Sir Alec Issigonis, creator of Britains best-selling motoring icons, retired The creator of the original Mini, the Morris Minor, the Austin Maxi and [], Motor magazine, August 1962 WHY IS THE ADO16? Like many famous people and celebrities, Alec Issigonis kept his personal life private. Due to time pressures, the interconnected suspension system that Issigonis had planned for the car was replaced by an equally novel, but cruder, rubber cone system designed by Alex Moulton. Alec is . . 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? But the story begins even further back, with a man named Demosthenis, Alec's grandfather, who emigrated from Greece to Asia-Minor in the 1830s and worked for the Smyrna-Aydn Railway. Prior to his death, Alec and his mother travelled overland to London. He inherited his great interest in technology and machines from his father who, shortly after the turn . 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. How about an uncomfortable driver is a distracted driver? We will continue to update information on Alec Issigoniss parents. Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. This isnt 1942. Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industrys great independent thinkers. Sir Alec was a combination of everything that was right AND wrong about the British car industry in his day. Omissions? The first car to repeat the concept of the Mini was the ADO16, which is often considered to be Issigoniss finest hour. In 1961, with the Mini gaining popularity, Issigonis was promoted to Technical Director of BMC. 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. 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. Oxbotica Toronto Office. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. Alec Issigonis was born in Turkey. Unfortunately the ADO16 did not do well in the U.S. as the Austin America, which was imported here in an attempt to eat some of VWs lunch in the late 1960s. He was born in 1906 in a city that is now known as Izmir, in Turkey which itself can trace its . However, as we all know, it was no profit-maker for BMC and, during its hyper-successful first decade on the market, its maker cruelly and criminally failed to develop the concept into something that the customers truly wanted a hatchback. Alexander Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna (now Izmir) in Ottoman Turkey. Diz lenda que ele considerava a rigidez . Style wise, the car has been identified as having a visual similarity to Lancia Aureliathe 1950-58 Lancia Aurelia saloon, with some Morris Oxford overtones and a traditional Alvis style grille added. Nice to see that blue Morris Oxford just the same as our first car that I remember. For his accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth knighted Issigonis in 1969. This post and its visuals and videos explains this pivotal vector of the international industry with such clarity and depth. By October 1959, the Mini was on sale and when the press first got their hands on BMCs new car, they were not shy to praise it; the Minis unique personality, exceptional space efficiency, lively performance and tenacious front-wheel-drive handling meant that it was a sure fire hit with the critics. Alec's grandfather Demosthenis migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s. The war prevented this design from going into production but it was later used on the MG Y-type. The Minor, Mini, ADO16 and Landcrab all had character, and were all friendly cars. Dear Mr Day I have not met you but I feel I must write to explain a few points. [], 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. 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. Alec completed his education at an English boarding school, and in 1925, took a two month tour, by car, of Europe with his mother before returning to take a place at Battersea Polytechnic in south London, to study mechanical engineering. William Morris (Lord Nuffield) didnt like it, naming it the poached egg and expressed no appreciation of it to Issigonis, until 1951 when 100,000 cars had been built.
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