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. He then moved on to Alvis, where he worked on the development of a luxury saloon, but the project had to be discontinued for cost reasons. Enter the length or pattern for better results. 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. Despite its stated mission being to provide basic transport, this level of driving enjoyment, and capability, was like a non stop Christmas present. Alec Issigonis, technical director of the British Motor Corporation and Charles Griffin, chief engineer, answer questions from our technical editor. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder. 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. I saw one, in 79 or 80, sold here as the MG Sports Sedan. Updates? Learn more. Your article sure did him justice; thank you, Roger. He failed his degree course but gained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering, at the third attempt, in 1928. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. But there were other 20th century cataclysms that he lived and worked through as a designer - including the Suez crisis of 1956. Absolutely brilliant article about an engineering genius. Not something one would anticipate until it is experienced. He also had plans for a flat four cylinder engine, and at frequentlychallenged convention and Morris Motors conservatism. In 1961, a shipload of Minis suffered mild water damage on their journey to the east coast of US. Another Mini! 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 . Im sure this was never part of Issigoniss plan, as he was anti-style, but only the 1100 benefited from external help. 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. Thanks for this terrific bio on one of the all-time greats in the field. When is Alec Issigoniss birthday? Not sure how true it is, but I read somewhere that he even designed the ashtrays for the Minor. Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? Issigonis had also been involved in the larger Oxford, Isis and Wolseley ranges. What a great, nicely balanced piece about the ever-controversial Sir Alec, and his equally controversial designs. For his accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth knighted Issigonis in 1969. In many ways, this car was a clear, but simpler, derivative of the work Issigonis had been doing at Alvis, and Issigonis recruited some former colleagues from Alvis to BMC to develop V6 and V4 engines for the projected BMC cars, possibly using the aborted work at Alvis as a basis. No wonder Issigonis felt flattered I feel very, very proud that so many people have copied me.. 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. [13], He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1967. He would attend the usual motor shows, but often would refuse to look in detail at the competition, so he did not become confused. [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. SOL 258H is the oldest surviving gearless car and was the preferred transport of Sir Alex Issigonis. [16], In 2003 he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in the United States. Are you sure Renault had transverse-engine hatchbacks by 1974? 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? And Alec Issigonis? The childhood . Suffice to say it was an ambitious project for a family of compact cars - the smaller of the pair shorter overall than . [9] He was cremated at the Lodge Hill Cemetery in nearby Selly Oak. To clarify, the Renault 4, 5 (first generation, Le Car), 6 and 16 all had longitudinally mounted engines. Like many famous people and celebrities, Alec Issigonis kept his personal life private. If only it had had more power and better gearing. Zodiac Sign: Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio. Issigonis returned to BMC to design a range of family vehicles. 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 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. 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. He died in October 1988, aged 82. Engine access on the Mini was very awkward, and this was only improved on the ADO16 because Jack Daniels was able to keep Issigonis away from the detail work, which was largely done at Cowley in Oxford rather than Longbridge. Alexander Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna (now Izmir) in Ottoman Turkey. Another Mini! 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. Having been a passenger in an early Austin Landcrab on several occasions I can confirm they are amazingly spacious inside, front and rear. The big steering wheels angle was a bit bus-like though. Moultons hydrolastic suspension as installed on the BMC ADO16 by Issigonis. He was a race car driver during the 30s and 40s. Alec Issigonis - Etsy Check out our alec issigonis selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. [], 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. 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. The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis celebrates one of the many milestones of the Mini dynasty. Learn how your comment data is processed. Enter your username or email to reset your password. The Mini quickly became cult and had enthusiastic fans worldwide. Issigonis customer in this case was Maurice Wilks, later the man behind the Land Rover. 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. *27/02/01 The new Mini which will go on sale in the UK summer 2001, was , being unveiled for the first time. Alec Issigonis was born in 1900s. I fist saw a Mini on my way to middle school in 1965. [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. 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. He inherited his great interest in technology and machines from his father who, shortly after the turn . 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. I wanted to know the genesis. The Mini caused a sensation with its design and rather small size in the late 1950s thanks to its inventor, the Englishman Alec Issigonis. Issgoniss retirement, with George Turnbull, then Managing Director of Austin-Morris. In the face of all this mayhem, Mrs. Issigonis decided to migrate with Alex to Britain, a land neither knew. He was involved in engine design as well, requesting unsuccessfully that BL build 4 and 6 cylinder engines for Mini variants. In 1942, the first scale model was produced and the following year work began on a hand-formed steel prototype. It interested me as I had the honour of working with sir Alec for around 3 months. Issigonis was knighted in 1968, 1955 Morris Minor: Britains Favorite Car Bar None, And Rightly So, Austin Seven (Mini): The Future Started Here. is bigger, and is just one of a family of related models. 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 . 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. Nkter data mohou pochzet z datov poloky. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Comments about the bus-like steering wheel angle remind me of what I learned about that subject from my Italian cars (Fiats): the relatively horizontal wheel requires/enables the driver to push forward, rather than up, to make a turn a difference that makes better use of the arm, translating to easier and less tiring driving. I appreciate the research the depth and the smooth writing style to present it all in a gripping way. Alec Issigonis was a Greek-British automobile engineer and designer, best known for designing the Mini, a compact car that became a cultural icon in Britain and other countries. 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. 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 mini leaked like a sieve because of the way hed designed the sills and had to be redesigned. 41 Copy quote. I thought I knew everything about Issigonis already, but there were some fascinating insights here. And the result was the creation of more than just an economical car. Issigonis became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was knighted in 1969. Sir Alec Issigonis, in full Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, (born Nov. 18, 1906, Smyrna [now zmir], Tur.died Oct. 2, 1988, Birmingham, Eng. Sir Alec Issigonis hadn't even seen a car until he was 12 years old. Austin 1800 (ADO18 Landcrab): Best In Class Or Just Plain Ugly? 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. Thank you very much for a wonderful biography. Ive never been inside a Landcrab or a Maxi, but I understand that while they are very spacious, the ergonomics are pretty poor. I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. Issigonis would later state that pure mathematics (is) the enemy of every truly creative man. He began his engineering career at Morris Motors Ltd. in 1936 as a steering and suspension engineer. He would instead research work on his Mini replacement the 9X with its compact transverse engine. The Renault 14 was transversely engined, from 1976. 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. Moulton was a scion of the family behind the Avon tyres company and a respected suspension system engineer in his own right who had worked extensively on the concept of rubber as a suspension medium, before working on the hydrolastic and later still the hydragas systems. Issigonis was to use Moultons suspension ideas on all his future cars, with Moulton working in a consultancy capacity to BMC. Sir Alec Issigonis, in full Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, (born Nov. 18, 1906, Smyrna [now zmir], Tur.died Oct. 2, 1988, Birmingham, Eng. Issigonis continued to work as Engineering Director at the Austin-Morris Division of BMC, and as Technical Director of BMC in 1965. The war years were spent. 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. 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. 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. He was reluctant to consider features such as large boots or hatchbacks, or engine access, as important. When he turned his attention to the ADO16, Issigonis continued his obsession with the maximisation of passenger space combined with the best possible road holding. By the mid 1970s, Issigonis was beginning suffer from Menieres disease, and the consequent loss of full control of his balance let him to retreat from prominence. 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. And I myself have engineered a few things with the help of Jack Daniels . Vic Oak and Reginald Hanks, Morriss Managing Director did though, arranging a 50% salary increase for Issigonis in April 1948, to 1500 per year. Noch ein Mini! 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. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. 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. Once more details are available, we will update this section. His father, however, did not survive the crossing. [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. as an American familiar only with U.S. cars. Meanwhile from 1930, he raced a supercharged Ulster Austin Seven, and fitted it with an independent front suspension of his own design. BMC had already developed, and asked outside consultants to develop, several concepts on various themes, none of which met the targets Lord had set, who was also determined to establish an internal capability to think, as we would now say, outside the box. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. We will continue to update information on Alec Issigoniss parents. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . [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. [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. When Alvis cancelled the project, Issigonis was invited by BMC Chairman Sir Leonard Lord to return to BMC at Longbridge, as Chief Body and Chassis engineer, and reporting to BMC Technical Director Sydney Smith. You serve us all wonderfully. At the peak if his career he was by far the most well-known personality in the British motor industry, one of the most well-known names in the European motor industry, and was the first and perhaps the only car British designer who could claim celebrity status. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrnain Ottoman Turkey. Issigonis had some success at club racing level and in 1935 travelled with his lifelong friend George Dowson to the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Death and commemorations 4 Some of his cars Lord was looking for modernity, but he was also looking for commonality of engines, good quality design and cars good enough to be amongst the best in their class and internationally competitive. Alec Issigoniss mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. Our tool for managing your permission to our use of cookies is temporarily offline. Sir Alecs design which we built won the design centre award. Look what happened to Alan Turing. * Commander of the British Empire (1964), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1967), Royal Designer for Industry (1964). In 1956, the focus was shifted towards a new economy car and from here, the Mini was born in 1959. His stubbornness, I would say, had more in common with Ford starting production of the T, when everyone was telling him to make expensive cars because they were more profitable. 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. 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. It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. 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. That's exactly what he did. Kereta ini menjadi kereta popular di Britain dan banyak negara di dunia, di samping berjaya menjuarai Rali Monte Carlo sebanyak 3 kali. Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? Im sure the Renault 4, 5, 6, and 16 had longitudinal engines. 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. I tell you the last time I was that close to a Japanese machine, it was shooting at me.. Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. Noch ein Mini (A Mini! Alec Issigonis is a famous Entrepreneur. Alec is also well known as, British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. But beneath this surface, he was a sensitive and more vulnerable person, and was almost certainly (and inexcusably) the subject of some intolerance and prejudice from the UK born staff. 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. 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. [], The Mini is 63 years old this week. 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. All Rights Reserved. I remember being quite put off by the sound of the engine seemingly racing to maintain 45mph. Alec Issigonis It is much easier to drive without having an accident. On his side, Issigonis built a large model railway in the double garage that ran out through the walls and around the garden. Alec Issigonis was born in Turkey. 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. Issigoniss first project was to design an independent suspension for Rootes highest volume car, the Hillman Minx. His father Constantine Issigonis was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from Paros. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. (I can remember seeing Austin Americas just a few years old being offered up for $50.) Issigonis and Dowson then travelled into Austria to the mountain climb competition at the then new Grossglockner Hochalpen Pass. 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. BMC was producing over 11,000 Issigonis-designed front-wheel-drive models a week, with demand still exceeding production, which was continually increased. 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. Chrysler also took a licence to manufacture the device, which was an integral part of their pioneering overdrive in 1934.
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