Styled by Pininfarina, it was launched as the Morris 1100 in 1962, and a year later as the Austin 1100, and the clean, classical lines of the car served BMC well. . It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. Morris Minor 1000s , Dropheads, Travelers , Panel Van, and Pick up trucks. Sir Alecs design which we built won the design centre award. He would attend the usual motor shows, but often would refuse to look in detail at the competition, so he did not become confused. This isnt 1942. All Rights Reserved. Daniels (right) and Sheppard (left), no doubt, had to smooth a few ruffled feathers on the way. Subsequently my main triumph of design is a carbon block conveyor that fit into an oddly shaped spot while using less pieces of steel than its predecessor. German Engineer Who Designed And Built The First Practical Automobile (Crossword ClueThe crossword clue German engineer who designed and built the first practical automobile. Looking at the Minor or the Mini, I can believe that. [14], He was granted the rank of Knight Bachelor in the 1969 Birthday Honours[15] and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 22 July of the same year. Issigonis continued to work as Engineering Director at the Austin-Morris Division of BMC, and as Technical Director of BMC in 1965. BMC . 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. 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. During this time he started to build a special sprint racer with a friend. 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. Issigonis did observe and try to improve on what he saw, but always challenged himself to be original and better. He also had plans for a flat four cylinder engine, and at frequentlychallenged convention and Morris Motors conservatism. Issigonis was born in Smyrna in 1906. But at the age of 50, he began designing one of the most iconic vehicles ever produced: the classic Mini. 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. An engineering genius and godfather of of the Mini. Diz lenda que ele considerava a rigidez . Sir Alec Issigonis. The all-new Mini will be revealed today, on what would have been Mini creator Sir Alec Issigonis's 107th birthday. Enter your username or email to reset your password. Ultimately, Alvis had to cancel the project, after the first prototype had been built but before the company had committed to the expenditure of production tooling. In response to the Suez Oil Crisis, British Motor Company asked Issigonis to head the development of a small, fuel-efficient car that would become the Morris Mini. 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. 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. The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. 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. He did not want more conventional answers, without at least exploring some technical advances. In 1942, Morris gave Issigonis overall responsibility for an all-new model; the Morris Minor. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Day terminated the consultancy agreement, without any more consultation. . He [], DAILY EXPRESS By David Benson Harry Webster is a quiet, unassuming, generous man of 54. It did not have everything Issigonis wanted, as he originally planned this car to have a V4 engine rather than the BMC A series. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. [16], In 2003 he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in the United States. Issigonis legacy. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS terkenal kerana menjadi pencipta kereta Mini yang menjadi ikon tahun 1960-an. 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. Alec Issigonis. 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. JUMP TO: Alec Issigoniss biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos and related celebs. But back in the day, young UK petrolheads had the time of our lives with Minis, modified in countless ways, rocketing around on twisty English roads, and in weekend motorsports. . Issigonis officially retired from the motor industry in 1971, although he continued working until shortly before his death in 1988 at his house in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Enter a Crossword Clue Sort by Length THE CREATOR OF AN ICONIC CAR: ALEC ISSIGONIS. Sir Alec Constantine Issigonis, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire on November 18, 1906, is famous for designing the beloved Mini Cooper motor car. Durante o curso ele foi reprovado trs vezes em matemtica. Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio and was born in the G.I. Was it to be front or rear engined? His father was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from the Greek island, Paros. He managed to obtain his Diploma, but was not admitted to advanced studies. 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. Moulton also designed folding, rubber suspended small-wheeled bicycles. O interesse pelo automvel veio aos 12 anos, quando ele viu um pela primeira vez. The task: a car with lots of space inside with minimum dimensions outside, seats for four passengers, impeccable driving characteristics, superior fuel economy, and a very affordable price. It was 1961 when the humble little people-mover fell into the hands of British racing legend John Cooper. Issgoniss retirement, with George Turnbull, then Managing Director of Austin-Morris. The car was launched at the 1948 London Motor Show, alongside the Land Rover and Jaguar XK120, and the rest is pure CC history. Noch ein Mini! After studying engineering, he joined Morris Motors in 1936 as a suspension designer. Issigonis usually won, even when entered in the 1100cc class if there was no 750cc category. 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. To clarify, the Renault 4, 5 (first generation, Le Car), 6 and 16 all had longitudinally mounted engines. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. Born in Turkey, Issigonis come to England as a teenager. Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. Not sure how true it is, but I read somewhere that he even designed the ashtrays for the Minor. Dear Mr Day I have not met you but I feel I must write to explain a few points. At Alvis, Issigoniss main task was to lead the development of a more affordable, higher volume luxury car. He inherited his great interest in technology and machines from his father who, shortly after the turn . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. . 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. Sir Alec was a combination of everything that was right AND wrong about the British car industry in his day. If only it had had more power and better gearing. . For his accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth knighted Issigonis in 1969. Alec Issigonis: straight from a family thrilled by technology. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder. Back the early 2,000 B.C. Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. Who are the richest people in the world? 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 failed his degree course but gained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering, at the third attempt, in 1928. (The Maxi, by comparison, was a bland lump.). I fist saw a Mini on my way to middle school in 1965. When I was in grade school in the mid-70s, the next door neighbor of my best friend had 6 Minis. 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. 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. In 1936, he moved to Morris Motors Limited at Cowley working on an independent front suspension system for the Morris 10. 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. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . 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. This led to a job at Austin, but in 1936, he moved to Morris at Cowley, where he worked on the Morris 10. Having been a passenger in an early Austin Landcrab on several occasions I can confirm they are amazingly spacious inside, front and rear. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis. [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. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular 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. 8050 Alec Issigonis Way, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX4 2HW. I saw this tiny car among the Buicks Oldsmobiles Mercurys and Chevrolet Impalas that were the usual fare. Issigonis had also been involved in the larger Oxford, Isis and Wolseley ranges. He convinced Issigonis to ready the Mini for the Rallye Monte Carlo. 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. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. You probably know the part about Alec Issigonis being born in the Greek city of Smyrna in 1906, being evacuated to Malta in 1922 following the Turkish invasion, and how he moved to London in 1923 to study engineering. 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. 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. I was amazed at the amount of space in that car you could even hide things in the cubbyhole under the rear seat. He title at Alvis was Engineer in charge of passenger car design. Alternate titles: Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. It was still in production when BMW, led by Bernd Pischetsreider, bought Rover in 1994. They represent many years of design study in attempts to produce the best value for money in the field of small car design. [], The most comprehensive story youll ever read about the aborted 9X programme the ill-fated Mini replacement, engineered by the man who created the original. Issigonis also devised a compact suspension system made of rubber cones instead of springs to keep the wheel wells from intruding into the passenger compartment. [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). In 1961, a shipload of Minis suffered mild water damage on their journey to the east coast of US. . A more powerful engine, bigger brakes and a few tuning tweaks later, the Classic Mini Cooper 997 was introduced. 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! File nella categoria "Alec Issigonis" Questa categoria contiene 5 file, indicati di seguito, su un totale di 5. It was apparent to Morriss senior managers that Issigonis was cut from a different cloth compared to his contemporaries. . LJK Setright, in his book The Designers describes Issigonis as working as a sculptor works, moving masses into different juxtapositions until his trained eye told him they were right. A flawed genius, yes, and BMCs failure to manage him is clear. British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. The inability of these cars to withstand business case scrutiny crucial in the companys decline, and others must also stand up for that -Issigonis didnt claim to be a product planner in the sense Ford would recognise but saw all his cars as separate entities. Was it to be water or air cooled? Then of course there was severe corrosion in the face of road salt. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alec-Issigonis. On the right is Alec Issigonis and standing next to him is John Cooper. 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. . Issigonis planned two versions, known as the TA/350 with a 3.5 litre V8 and TA/175 with a 1750cc, V4 engine. From then onwards, any car in the small or medium market without a transverse engine was considered unusual, and conservative. Alecs education details are not available at this time. 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. Kereta ini menjadi kereta popular di Britain dan banyak negara di dunia, di samping berjaya menjuarai Rali Monte Carlo sebanyak 3 kali. Issigonis had no input to the Marina (other than it using substantial elements from the Morris Minor of course) or the Allegro, as BMC had passed a thin very development programme to Leyland in 1968, largely due to financial pressures. 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. His iconoclasm ensured that, despite the constraints of working in an industry where the size and complexity of the process meant that even the most forceful of designers was only one member of a large team, Issigonis cars bore his own stamp from the 1948 Morris Minor to the 1969 Maxi. . 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. A truly fascinating man he was. Proslavil se zejmna nvrhem vozu Mini, kter uvedla na trh British Motor Corporation v . On October 2, 1988, he passed . Maybe because theyd lost the Issigonis chassis manners? 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. Alec Issigonis. In 1922 the family left Turkey for England, as all British people were banished from the country. Giving the Mini, ADO16 and ADO17 were all designed well before hatchbacks were popular, the beancounters no doubt would be up in arms at the thought of spending more money on tooling for an already old design. Issigoniss legacy is undoubtedly best seen through his cars, from the Minor to the Maxi, which challenged conventions through engineering ingenuity. 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. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. Youre right about maintenance. The loss of British sovereignty led not only to a political defeat but also to an oil crisis. His father died in 1922, at which point he and his mother moved to the U.K.. Get In Touch Call or Email. Sir Alec Issigonis celebrates one of the many milestones of the Mini dynasty. An image from the 1964 Racing Car Show in the aftermath of the Mini's first Monte Carlo Rally win. The original Minor design was so narrow they had to chop it lengthways and widen it. Alec Issigonis It is much easier to drive without having an accident. I tell you the last time I was that close to a Japanese machine, it was shooting at me.. Issigonis' creation was remarkable, but it really only became a Mini when he got a little help from his friend, motorsport pioneer John Cooper. A family that . Apparently Walter Chrysler could also be difficult to work with. On his side, Issigonis built a large model railway in the double garage that ran out through the walls and around the garden. The war prevented this design from going into production but it was later used on the MG Y-type. 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. Sticks in my mind I read a road test that put engine speed at 60 around 4,000rpm. 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. Prior to his death, Alec and his mother travelled overland to London. 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. Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. 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? Omissions? Manual transmissions seemed to hold up ok,lasting at least as long as the engine. However, his story proves: never give up your dreams even if life puts obstacles in your way. 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. The Mini caused a sensation with its design and rather small size in the late 1950s thanks to its inventor, the Englishman Alec Issigonis. Even more significantly, it effectively defined the configuration of the small and medium car for the next 50 years. 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. [5]:277. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). 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. [], BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini in 1959. [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. Updates? Dr.Ing. 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. 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. His last Morris projects were the 1953 Morris Oxford and Isis saloons, launched after the BMC merger, and which used the BMC B series engine. I do not know how many I have owned Morrises, Austins and MGs. Issigonis studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. At some point in the mid-60s they ran an After the New Wears Off feature by an MG 1100 owner in Los Angeles. The initials "G.I." As such he was of the generation who experienced the privations of two apocalyptic world wars. Issigonis then went back to the British Motor Corporation, where the influence of many political factors led him to his major breakthrough. The childhood . I have liked them ever since. 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? His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. His retirement gift from the company was the largest available Meccano set, complete with a steam engine. I was amazed at the amount of space in that car you could even hide things in the cubbyhole under the rear seat. From 1925-1928 he studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. MINI. Once more details are available, we will update this section. 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. However, there was more to his life than just one car. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". He would instead research work on his Mini replacement the 9X with its compact transverse engine. The Mini, and the other Issigonis BMC front wheel drive cars, benefited from Issigonis continuing collaboration with Alex Moulton and his suspension system developments. Sixty years ago today . . https://www.mini.com/ British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. 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. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. Issigonis returned to BMC to design a range of family vehicles. Sounds like his stubbornness had a lot in common with Henry Ford and his reluctance to move on from the Model T. Imagine trying to take him seriously when he declared an uncomfortable driver is an alert driver. 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.
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