He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. Road & Tracks test of the Austin America included the line, Superb four-speed fully automatic transmission makes more difference than youd believe possible. But they also noted that with just a few thousand miles on their test car, there was some issue (I forget what) with the trunk lock, and the outside of the engine was covered with oily black grime. Constantine studied in England. MINI. 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. 130 King Street West, Exchange Tower, Suite 1800, Toronto, Canada, M5X 1E3. But accounts do suggest it done in a pretty crass way. . Innovative. Then of course there was severe corrosion in the face of road salt. [3] Whilst he is most famous for his creation of the Mini, he was most proud of his participation in the design of the Morris Minor. Thanks for the great article. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). Alec Issigonis It is much easier to drive without having an accident. 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. He was also responsible for the development of the Mini Moke, initially intended for military use, though it subsequently became another popular icon of British automotive engineering that, like the Mini, attained cult status.
Great Designer :: ALEC ISSIGONIS - WordPress.com 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 pressed the case, again, for the gearless 9X, complained about electronics in cars, designers using CAD systems and not slide rules, and changes in the model designations of the existing Mini. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. . The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis ( 18. listopadu 1906 Smyrna - 2. jna 1988 Birmingham) byl ecko - britsk automobilov konstruktr narozen na zem dnenho Turecka. 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. And the result was the creation of more than just an economical car. Great article there should be a movie about Issigonis! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. . At some point in the mid-60s they ran an After the New Wears Off feature by an MG 1100 owner in Los Angeles. is bigger, and is just one of a family of related models. 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. Issigonis name will always be associated with the Morris Minor, built for over 20 years, and with the Mini, a car he designed very quickly in the late 1950s and which was built for over 40 years, throughout the tumultuous history of BMC and BLMC, ending only after the BMW led break up of the Rover Group in 2000. On October 2, 1988, he passed . After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. Alec Issigonis Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography . But it was an exciting period, and youve captured his personality and lasting impact well. Brilliant cars! Alec Issigonis was already known for his popular and respected Morris Minor.
Alec Issigonis - the genius behind the Mini and the Morris Minor - AROnline Noch ein Mini (A Mini! Alec Issigonis Popularity Most Popular Born in 1906 First Name Alec #31 #1 Entrepreneur Born in Turkey #2 Alec Issigonis Is A Member Of Born In 1906 Entrepreneurs First Name Alec Scorpios Im sure the Renault 4, 5, 6, and 16 had longitudinal engines.
Sir Alec Issigonis - Small Cars, Big Ideas - Cars Less Traveled Issigonis with XC/9001, the car that became the Landcrab. By the time the chassis had been completed (hard labourit was all done by hand, no power tools), Issigonis had moved to Morris Motors Limited, but Austin supplied a "works" specification supercharged side-valve engine. Learn how your comment data is processed. SOL 258H is the oldest surviving gearless car and was the preferred transport of Sir Alex Issigonis. They kept it several years until they decided they needed their 1st air-conditioned car a 66 LeMans. Issigonis went into the motor industry as an engineer and designer working for Humber and competed successfully in motor racing during the 1930s and 1940s. 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. A British citizen born in Turkey in 1906, Issigonis did not see an automobile until he was 12 years old. Issigonis's mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. 8050 Alec Issigonis Way, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX4 2HW. the outer planets, Uranus and Neptune were not yet discovered, since the telescope had not yet been invented. 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. Oxbotica Toronto Office.
37 Sir Alec Issigonis Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images The Royal Navy Marines evacuated British Subjects, including the Issigonis family, from Smyrna before Turkey attacked. Unfortunately I didnt turn out quite as brilliant, but I like to think I missed out some of the stubbornness/arrogance as well. As a matter of interest, go to this site: and click on the Letter From Dr. Alex Moulton link. Mr. Front-Wheel Drive: Sir Alec Issigonis . People over the road from us had a Wolseley Six (top of the range Landcrab) when we were kids. I wanted to know the genesis.
Alec Issigonis Biography | HowOld.co 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. THE CREATOR OF AN ICONIC CAR: ALEC ISSIGONIS.
Addresses | OxfordBiomedica 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! BL were in thrall of the myth theyd created, but the buying public had much more sense. In 1969, in recognition of his engineering genius, Queen Elizabeth granted him Knighthood.
Alec Issigonis - Wikipedia They represent many years of design study in attempts to produce the best value for money in the field of small car design. Sir Alec Issigonis: an insight into the great man, from an interview originally published in Autocar magazine to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Mini.
Sir Alec Issigonis 1906 - 1988 - Solar Navigator It interested me as I had the honour of working with sir Alec for around 3 months. He [], DAILY EXPRESS By David Benson Harry Webster is a quiet, unassuming, generous man of 54. I thought I knew everything about Issigonis already, but there were some fascinating insights here. The strengths of this sign are being resourceful, brave, passionate, a true friend, while weaknesses can be distrusting, jealous, secretive and violent. (The Maxi, by comparison, was a bland lump.). By 1938, Issigonis was lead engineer for steering and suspension for all the Morris car range. 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. In 1942, the first scale model was produced and the following year work began on a hand-formed steel prototype. 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 . [3][6] His father died shortly after and Issigonis and his mother moved to the United Kingdom in 1923. 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. And the 1800 the rear seat really seemed limousine-like for the size of the car. He was a complex man, with a complex background, family story and career. In later years, the car would become known simply as the Mini. The gearbox sharing the sump oil worked ok, but the transmission absolutely pulverised the lubricating qualities out of the oil, and it really required changing every 3000 miles if you wanted the thing to last. The initials "G.I." I appreciate the research the depth and the smooth writing style to present it all in a gripping way. This prototype never saw the light of day mores the pity. This car was remarkably light, weighing 587lb, of which the engine contributed 252lb. I wonder if he was to blame for the Mini never having a hatchback, or a more softly suspended version? 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. Ford clinging to the T too long was the same sort of corporate inertia that had VW clinging to the Bug too long. I was amazed at the amount of space in that car you could even hide things in the cubbyhole under the rear seat. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. You serve us all wonderfully. 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)
The Lightweight Special - TNF's Archive - The Autosport Forums It has since proved to be the template for the small car for nearly 60 years it has still not been bettered and was followed as early as 1963 by the Autobianchi Primula, which had the first end on gearbox on its transverse engine, by the 1965 Peugeot 204 with a configuration closer to the ADO16 but larger, and 1967 by the Simca 1100, the first to combine an end on gearbox and a hatchback. Sixty years ago today . The first car to repeat the concept of the Mini was the ADO16, which is often considered to be Issigoniss finest hour. At the age of 30 he worked for the Morris Engineering Department and celebrated his first success with the construction of the Morris Minor.
Bedtime story - Alec Issigonis - Enthusiasts of British Motor Vehicles I am well acquainted with the brilliant/stubborn/arrogant type of engineer, I have occasionally served as a Daniels, and my own brilliant/stubborn/arrogant Grandfather could have probably used one too. At the end of 1955, Issigonis was recruited back into BMC, this time into the Austin plant at Longbridge, by its chairman Sir Leonard Lord, to design a new model family of three cars. Sort By: Better Essays. 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. At Alvis, Issigoniss main task was to lead the development of a more affordable, higher volume luxury car. Heynes later became Technical Director at Jaguar and was a personal friend of Issigonis for many years. Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS, RDI (18 November 1906 - 2 October 1988) was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential . I have heard some slander about his idea of putting the gearbox in the engine sump, but otherwise, he changed transportation for the masses on a scale not seen since Henry Ford. https://www.mini.com/ An image from the 1964 Racing Car Show in the aftermath of the Mini's first Monte Carlo Rally win. However, his story proves: never give up your dreams even if life puts obstacles in your way. Like many famous people and celebrities, Alec Issigonis kept his personal life private. I tell you the last time I was that close to a Japanese machine, it was shooting at me.. Thanks for a wonderfully researched article! [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. The Mini was designed by. Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industrys great independent thinkers. 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. Issigonis who designed the Mini auto Crossword Clue The Crossword Solver found 30 answers to "Issigonis who designed the Mini auto", 4 letters crossword clue. That Alvis is one of those missed opportunities that ultimately doomed the company. Absolutely brilliant article about an engineering genius. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrnain Ottoman Turkey. A more powerful engine, bigger brakes and a few tuning tweaks later, the Classic Mini Cooper 997 was introduced.
1988: The Passing of an Automotive Legend - Transportation History Copyright 2023. By the time the chassis had been completed, Issigonis had somehow got hold of an Austin supplied works specification supercharged side-valve engine as well. The war prevented this design from going into production but it was later used on the MG Y-type. The Minor was, of course, a huge success, for Nuffield and for Issigonis. The mini leaked like a sieve because of the way hed designed the sills and had to be redesigned. Designer Alec Issigonis was born in the southern Anatolian city of Smyrna in 1906. RM G4TJWM - Alec Issigonis, creator of the British Motor Corporation 'Mini' car range, drives the 1,000,000th Mini off the production line at the Austin Plant at Longbridge, Birmingham. Its practicality and affordability made it immediately popular; by the time of Issigonis death more than five million had been sold. (first posted 10/24/2016) Alec Issigonis, along with Sir Henry Royce and perhaps Colin Chapman, has the greatest name recognition in the UK for any British car designer or engineer. . Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . Issgoniss retirement, with George Turnbull, then Managing Director of Austin-Morris. Issigonis' first cousin once removed was Bernd Pischetsreider, responsible . 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. Unique. His love/hate relationship with the companys products stayed with []. Ive never been inside a Landcrab or a Maxi, but I understand that while they are very spacious, the ergonomics are pretty poor. Sir Alec Issigonis. His motor industry career at Humber, and during his time there, he competed in motor racing notably designing his own lightweight version of a supercharged Ulster Austin Seven with his own front axle. Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. I had a book about Issigonis, but its lost. If it was front engined, was it to be rear wheel or front wheel drive? 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? 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. I was amazed at the amount of space in that car you could even hide things in the cubbyhole under the rear seat. My doodles and sketches are not the work of an academic engineer. Issigonis continued to work as Engineering Director at the Austin-Morris Division of BMC, and as Technical Director of BMC in 1965. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. I remember the Austin America when new, not an impressive car to me in any way . He was also referred to as the Greek God, perhaps more openly. 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. Excellent article. I love the comment made by Red Foreman on That 70s Show when asked about the Toyota Corolla he had recently purchased due to the gas crisis: Bob: Red, a Toyota? 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. Suffice to say it was an ambitious project for a family of compact cars - the smaller of the pair shorter overall than . His little cars were a success despite him. Alec's mother, Hulda Prokopp, could trace her origins back to Wrttemberg (now part of Germany). In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. Born Alexandros Arnoldos Konstantinos Issigonis on the 18th of November, 1906, Alexander Issigonis' family were part of the Greek community in the port city of Smrna. 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. I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. Alec is also well known as, British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. [8], With the creation of British Leyland in 1969, new chairman Lord Stokes quickly sidelined Issigonis and made him into what was termed "Special Developments Director", replacing him with Harry Webster as the new Technical Director (Small/Medium cars). He was known for being a Entrepreneur. 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. Alec Issigoniss birth sign is Scorpio and he had a ruling planet of Pluto.
German Engineer Who Designed And Built The First Practical Automobile Meanwhile from 1930, he raced a supercharged Ulster Austin Seven, and fitted it with an independent front suspension of his own design. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Death and commemorations 4 Some of his cars When we stopped sending children up chimneys we reemployed them to work or minis. The Automotive Hall of Fame. What a great, nicely balanced piece about the ever-controversial Sir Alec, and his equally controversial designs. 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.
Mini: a brief history - The Telegraph 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. All I know is, which car I would rather be in driving if there was any tricky situation [], DAILY MIRROR By Richard Sear No man looks less designed to start off the cult of the miniature. A deeply flawed genius at best. Found an ad for the US market 1100. MINI, official partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, has unveiled its new London 2012 special, Keith Adams Well, Christmas and Boxing Day are out of the way and the, The replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000 never took off, thanks in part to a poor, British Motor Holdings the joining of BMC and Jaguar, The cars : Mini (ADO15) development story Part One, Concepts and prototypes : BMC 9X (1968-87), Blog : Why the Italians beat us to a supermini by a decade, History : The Road to Perdition Part One, Interview : Alec Issigonis on the BMC 1100, Archive : Mini Shortlisted For Car Of The Century, Archive : Mini still sold at a loss. Morris Minor 1000s , Dropheads, Travelers , Panel Van, and Pick up trucks.
Alec Issigonis | Automotive Hall of Fame 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. My appreciation of Issigonis designs really came when Auntie Merle traded her Austin A30 (horrible car) for a Morris 1100. In October, 1957, just eight months after first putting pen to paper, the first prototypes were on the road. Stooping just under six feet in height, he looms large at any [], By GEOFFREY CHARLES, Motoring Correspondent A high-level reshuffle of BMC directors areas of responsibility was announced yesterday as part of a streamlining process before completion of the BMH-Leyland merger. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis is best remembered for the Austin Mini - a car that revolutionised the small car package and probably saved the British Motor Corporation at the same time. 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 . An advanced 4-speed fully automatic transmission was offered in these that lived in the sump and shared the engine oil, just like the manual gearbox. The cars design with its front wheel drive and independent suspension provided good road handling, but Issigonis had scant regard for passenger comfort. Are you sure Renault had transverse-engine hatchbacks by 1974? When I was in grade school in the mid-70s, the next door neighbor of my best friend had 6 Minis. Alec Issigonis was born on the 18th of November, 1906. Getting a guy like Issigonis to design a V8 saloon and just chucking it in the bin. Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? Copyright 2011 - 2023 Curbside Classics. If (and I have no evidence and make no suggestions) a young Issigonis had been outed in, say, the early 1950s, his career progression would likely have been ended even, without any prosecution.
MG 1100/1300 Register - NAMGBR His father Constantine Issigonis was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from Paros. 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. Alec Issigonis: The Man Who Made the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, 81; Designer of Minicar And Morris Minor. Manual transmissions seemed to hold up ok,lasting at least as long as the engine. 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. This generation experienced much of their youth during the Great Depression and rapid technological innovation such as the radio and the telephone. There was a long drive way that ran along the school cafeteria that parents used to drop off students in the morning.
Alec Issigonis Net Worth, Age, Bio, Birthday, Height, Facts 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. Its entirely believable that Issigonis would have been prosecuted if hed had gay sex. [13], He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1967. Alec's grandfather Demosthenis migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s. He was involved in engine design as well, requesting unsuccessfully that BL build 4 and 6 cylinder engines for Mini variants. On his side, Issigonis built a large model railway in the double garage that ran out through the walls and around the garden. [12], In 1964 Issigonis was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). Plenty of space and comfort in the back, as I recall, but my fathers Rover P6 was much more stylish. 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. His name? Issigonis would work on the 9X programme, which included a replacement Mini and a new and innovative gearless transmission system.