Great summary of a giant of industrial design. the outer planets, Uranus and Neptune were not yet discovered, since the telescope had not yet been invented. 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. Required fields are marked *. In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. Fascinating lost papers from the man who created the Mini and the. This car was remarkably light, weighing less than 600lb. 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! British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the Morris 1100 with the Hydrolastic interconnected suspension system in August 1962. IAN NICHOLLS recalls the day the two millionth rolled off the production line [], A team of the worlds leading motoring writers, along with voters on the internet, have short-listed the legendary Mini for the ultimate motoring accolade the international Car of the [], THE GUARDIAN Lord Stokes writes about the late Sir Alec Issigonis: Alec Issigonis was a very charming and persuasive person, and a brilliant innovative engineer with a considerable capacity for [], Rover Group consultant Sir Alec Issigonis writes to chairman Graham Day. Kereta ini menjadi kereta popular di Britain dan banyak negara di dunia, di samping berjaya menjuarai Rali Monte Carlo sebanyak 3 kali. Issigonis planned two versions, known as the TA/350 with a 3.5 litre V8 and TA/175 with a 1750cc, V4 engine. is bigger, and is just one of a family of related models. In 1928 his first job was in the design office of Gillett, an engineering firm in London. 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 relationship got to the point where Issigonis had the ideas, did the sketches and Daniels did the formal drawings. 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. It is arguably doubtful that Lord, knowing Issigonis better, would have seen him as the ideal candidate for the overall technical leadership of BMC. [], 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. . What a great, nicely balanced piece about the ever-controversial Sir Alec, and his equally controversial designs. 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. Alec Issigonis nasceu na Turquia Filho de um grego naturalizado britnico casado com uma turca. 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. 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. 1925 . He didnt give a damn about the poor sods who had to work on his cars. . 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. The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis. When he officially retired from BLMC in November 1971, Issigonis was retained by BLMC on an exclusive consultancy agreement, signed off by and reporting to the Chairman, Donald Stokes. . 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. Issigonis' first cousin once removed was Bernd Pischetsreider, responsible . https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alec-Issigonis. 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 gearbox in sump was a dead end in terms of automotive design. Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. Alec Issigoniss mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. 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. By 1945, a full scale static prototype close to the familiar production form was completed. Sir Alec Issigonis. He despised such luxuries as radios and comfortable seats, once stating I would like people to sit on nails to be extremely uncomfortable all the time. and declaring that an uncomfortable driver is an alert driver. 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. Thank you very much for a wonderful biography. Issigonis did observe and try to improve on what he saw, but always challenged himself to be original and better. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . Alec's grandfather Demosthenis migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s. 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. He died in October 1988, aged 82. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In November 1971, Issigonis officially retired from BLMC, with a major ceremony at Longbridge, for which BL marshalled an example of every car for which he had led the design, of which only the Minor was no longer in production. The Mini was designed by. 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. As a Morris Minor owner I appreciated it . I remember seeing early Civics with trunks and the early VW Dasher had a trunk, in spite of its fastback bodywork. He was born on November 18, 1906 and his birthplace is Turkey. He immigrated to Britain in 1922, studied engineering and in 1948 masterminded the Morris Minor, the first British car to sell more than a million. View 6 Images. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. 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. Issigonis was giving punters what they needed, rather than what they wanted. I remember being quite put off by the sound of the engine seemingly racing to maintain 45mph. 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 became the engineering director of the British Motor Corporation in 1964, and was . Noch ein Mini (A Mini! Alec Issigonis, or more formally Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis CBE FRS RDI* (1906 1988), is best known as the creator of the Mini, but he also designed two other cars that have featured on CC and that are amongst the best-selling cars in British motoring history the Morris Minor and the Austin-Morris 1100 (ADO16). Ive often wondered how its 35 horses managed the Berkshires . It was 1961 when the humble little people-mover fell into the hands of British racing legend John Cooper. I wonder if he was to blame for the Mini never having a hatchback, or a more softly suspended version? 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. [], 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. 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. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. [17], Learn how and when to remove this template message, 1938 Issigonis Lightweight Special at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, "The creator of an iconic car: Alec Issigonis", "The Genuine MOKE | Steer clear of imitations | Story", "Pre de l'Austin "Mini" Alec Issigonis est mort", "Review of 'The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Design Since 1900 (2nd edition)', "Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. By October 1957, Issigonis had shown Lord a working prototype and the decision had been made to manufacture the car, using the existing BMC A series engine. FamousBirthdays.com - use subject to the practices disclosed in our privacy policy. [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. 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. He was a complex man, with a complex background, family story and career. Sir Alec was a combination of everything that was right AND wrong about the British car industry in his day. His mother was from Bavaria. He continued to be responsible for his original XC projects. Sir Alec Issigonis celebrates one of the many milestones of the Mini dynasty. 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. Plenty of space and comfort in the back, as I recall, but my fathers Rover P6 was much more stylish. An amazing man, and someone who would probably never rise to prominence in todays auto industry. Issigonis returned to BMC to design a range of family vehicles. 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. I saw one, in 79 or 80, sold here as the MG Sports Sedan. Issigonis became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was knighted in 1969. Proslavil se zejmna nvrhem vozu Mini, kter uvedla na trh British Motor Corporation v . I saw that same car several times, so, at least in nice weather, it apparently was a daily driver. [], The Mini is 63 years old this week. Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industrys great independent thinkers. 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. 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, for a small town car. I have labelled it the Most Significant Car of the 1940s; it is probably the most recognised British car, apart from the Mini, and the most fondly remembered car by many British families and motorists. The loss of British sovereignty led not only to a political defeat but also to an oil crisis. The war prevented this design from going into production but it was later used on the MG Y-type. Twitter; I dont remember Dad as being what youd call a sporting driver, but he never considered the later Austin-based Oxfords. Shunning all offers of silver service with the management. 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. He lived and worked in England " A camel is a horse designed by a committee " " Pure Math is the enemy of every truly creative man" Sir Alec's grandfather Demosthenes was sort of a mechanical genius having . In August 1959 the car was launched as the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven, which soon became known as the Austin Mini. Issigonis quickly arranged for Jack Daniels to move up from Cowley to Longbridge to rebuild their close rapport. Maybe because theyd lost the Issigonis chassis manners? Discover what happened on this day. Heynes later became Technical Director at Jaguar and was a personal friend of Issigonis for many years. 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 was mesmerized and I saw my schoolmate being dropped off by his older brother who was on his way to high school. He managed to obtain his Diploma, but was not admitted to advanced studies. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. A British citizen born in Turkey in 1906, Issigonis did not see an automobile until he was 12 years old. What a great. 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. 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. He inherited his great interest in technology and machines from his father who, shortly after the turn . Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? Matchbox featured an MG 1100 in its 1-75 line-up for many years. People over the road from us had a Wolseley Six (top of the range Landcrab) when we were kids. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis ( 18. listopadu 1906 Smyrna - 2. jna 1988 Birmingham) byl ecko - britsk automobilov konstruktr narozen na zem dnenho Turecka. [], BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini in 1959. Designer Alec Issigonis was born in the southern Anatolian city of Smyrna in 1906. From then onwards, any car in the small or medium market without a transverse engine was considered unusual, and conservative. Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. In 1942, Morris gave Issigonis overall responsibility for an all-new model; the Morris Minor. Alec Issigonis. 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. 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. 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 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. John Daly, Your email address will not be published. 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. It amounted to no more than surface rust on the chassis. Suffice to say it was an ambitious project for a family of compact cars - the smaller of the pair shorter overall than . As such he was of the generation who experienced the privations of two apocalyptic world wars. 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 . Another Mini! For his accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth knighted Issigonis in 1969. 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. Generation. Absolutely brilliant article about an engineering genius. 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. It interested me as I had the honour of working with sir Alec for around 3 months. [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. His father, however, did not survive the crossing. 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. His mother was Bavarian, the daughter of a brewer. 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. He was flattered to be copied, though. Indeed gay sex was illegal in the UK until 1968 and for many years after prejudice was rife. Issigonis and Dowson then travelled into Austria to the mountain climb competition at the then new Grossglockner Hochalpen Pass. And the 1800 the rear seat really seemed limousine-like for the size of the car. 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 . Chrysler also took a licence to manufacture the device, which was an integral part of their pioneering overdrive in 1934. [5]:277. His little cars were a success despite him. Issigonis was an engineer, first and foremost, but I have used the terms design/designer in this piece, in the way that was contemporaneous to Issigonis and as he would have understood it, although we would now use use engineering. All Rights Reserved. The strengths of this sign are being resourceful, brave, passionate, a true friend, while weaknesses can be distrusting, jealous, secretive and violent. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. It did get Hydrolastic eventually, then lose it again. [12], In 1964 Issigonis was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He didnt say by 1974 in regard to VW and Renault. He was also referred to as the Greek God, perhaps more openly. When is Alec Issigoniss birthday? Alec Issigonis: straight from a family thrilled by technology. It was at Alvis that Issigonis first worked with another of the influential characters of his career. My appreciation of Issigonis designs really came when Auntie Merle traded her Austin A30 (horrible car) for a Morris 1100. He took advantage of other peoples suspension designs, Moultons rubber cones and the isolastic, as they freed up more space. I wanted to know the genesis. His father died in 1922, at which point he and his mother moved to the U.K.. Whos the richest Entrepreneur in the world? He persisted in this into the 1980s, competing in vain against the Austin Metro, an improved version of the BMC A series engine and seemingly oblivious to the Companys financial state. And Alec Issigonis? The end of the agreement came in 1986, when Issigonis wrote directly to Graham Day, BLs then new Chairman. Although primarily a station car, my parents also took it on a vacation through New England. Autokonstrukteur, GBPortrt mit Zigarette- 1959. Your email address will not be published. His retirement gift from the company was the largest available Meccano set, complete with a steam engine. [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. This led to a job at Austin, but in 1936, he moved to Morris at Cowley, where he worked on the Morris 10. While much derided for its lack of style, I do love the huge smile he put on the front of the original 1800 Landcrab. Biography: Sir ALEC issigonis - The designer of Britain's favourite cars, Britain's favourite car designer . But accounts do suggest it done in a pretty crass way. The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3million cars. 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. 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. Building 9400 Oxford Business Park North Alec Issigonis Way Oxford OX4 2HN Austin Maxi: Big On The Inside But Not On The Outside, What a great write up Roger. Alec Issigonis, technical director of the British Motor Corporation and Charles Griffin, chief engineer, answer questions from our technical editor. 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. Whos the richest Entrepreneur in the world. 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. Alvis had a strong military business building armoured cars and personnel carriers, and this part of the business is still going strong as part of BAE Systems. How about an uncomfortable driver is a distracted driver? 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 witnessed blowing head gaskets, torn manifold studs and much more and found out that taking the engine out first was the quickest access for any of these repairs! Yes, it ran like hell when operable as the owner treated it like an Army Jeep. In October, 1957, just eight months after first putting pen to paper, the first prototypes were on the road. Issigonis worked as a draughtsman and design engineer, and also in a sales and project engineer role, succeeding in securing Rover as a customer use the freewheel device on the new for 1933 Rover Ten (P1 series, above). Issigonis made a grandfather clock from it, which kept good time. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. But, as ever, events intervened in this case the Suez Crisis of 1956, complete with petrol rationing. 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.
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