The family had an engineering business making marine engines and pumps, and it was from observing his father at work that he determined to become an engineer. [3][6] His father died shortly after and Issigonis and his mother moved to the United Kingdom in 1923. It was at Alvis that Issigonis first worked with another of the influential characters of his career. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). [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). meantime, John preferred his psychedelic Rolls .. Roger, hats off for this excellent treatment of an engineering legend. 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. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. 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. 41 Copy quote. I appreciate the research the depth and the smooth writing style to present it all in a gripping way. THE CREATOR OF AN ICONIC CAR: ALEC ISSIGONIS. Alternate titles: Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. 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. 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. . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Alec Issigonis Way Oxford Business Park Oxford OX4 2HN United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0) 1865 783 000 Oxford Biomedica Solutions 1 Patriots Park Bedford MA 01730 United States Telephone: +1 781 428 4536 Email :solutions.partnering@oxb.com Oxford Biomedica (Ireland) Ltd Office 502 Balheary Demense Balheary Road Swords Co. Dublin Ireland 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. A truly great man and an honour for me. British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. The Minor was, of course, a huge success, for Nuffield and for Issigonis. Sir Alec Issigonis. It is really amazing, when you think of it, that some 60 years later his basic vision rolls off of assembly lines all over the world. Unfortunately I didnt turn out quite as brilliant, but I like to think I missed out some of the stubbornness/arrogance as well. Innovative. There was a good reason for BMC selecting him for this task, for Issigonis was born in Izmir. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. He was born on November 18, 1906 and his birthplace is Turkey. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. When Morris and Austin merged to form the British Motor Corporation in 1952, Issigonis decided to leave the company. . 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. For his accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth knighted Issigonis in 1969. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. Biography: Sir ALEC issigonis - The designer of Britain's favourite cars, Britain's favourite car designer . 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. I was mesmerized and I saw my schoolmate being dropped off by his older brother who was on his way to high school. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. 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. The Austin/Morris Mini was 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. The suspension was also of advanced design, with trailing arm front suspension attached to a steel cross-member, and swing axle rear, all with rubber springs made of catapult elastic. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis CBE FRS RDI (18 November 1906 - 2 October 1988) was a Greek automotive designer. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This undated sketch by Issigonis shows some of this. It certainly appeared by the Maxi development era that Issigonis wanted to "do his own thing" as cost cutting and development costs spiraled. [9] He was cremated at the Lodge Hill Cemetery in nearby Selly Oak. 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. Even as Britain entered the 1960s, product planning remained something of an alien concept to its native carmakers, the majority of whom viewed such matters as being the sort of recondite nonsense invented in the United States, and best left there. Learn more. Post FROM OUR MIDLAND CORRESPONDENT BIRMINGHAM, Nov. 13 The name of the man who will head the British Motor Corporations new amalgamated design unit when []. Maybe because theyd lost the Issigonis chassis manners? Alec's mother, Hulda Prokopp, could trace her origins back to Wrttemberg (now part of Germany). The closure of the Suez canal created . Again,Issigonis was able to get close to some of the most impressive cars of the era, and take ideas and influences home. August 26, 2019. . Im sure this was never part of Issigoniss plan, as he was anti-style, but only the 1100 benefited from external help. Issigonis' first cousin once removed was Bernd Pischetsreider, responsible . At this time, he was working for Maurice Olley. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. It was one of the first days of the new school year early September and I was walking up the sidewalk and turning the corner to head for the campus. Our tool for managing your permission to our use of cookies is temporarily offline. Ford clinging to the T too long was the same sort of corporate inertia that had VW clinging to the Bug too long. BL were in thrall of the myth theyd created, but the buying public had much more sense. Cylcops center guage; magic wand shift-lever; and bus-sized steering wheel. If so, that would seem vindictive on Days part. Alec Issigonis was already known for his popular and respected Morris Minor. 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. And a rally demon was born. Issigonis 'response was dry and forceful:'I'm an engineer. 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. Then of course there was severe corrosion in the face of road salt. I dont have any great memories of the Mini to share, though you saw them everywhere. Discover what happened on this day. Mr. Front-Wheel Drive: Sir Alec Issigonis . 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. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. He also has one of the finest technical brains in the country and he is [], THE GUARDIAN IAN BREACH interviews LORD STOKES Safety: British or American standards? By 1941, Issigonis had started work on an advanced post war car, then codenamed Mosquito, which became the Morris Minor. Joseph Lowrey, [], The Mini hit its big landmark in 1969, a seismic year in the history of BMC>Rover. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". 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. People of this zodiac sign like truth, being right, longtime friends, teasing, and dislike dishonesty, revealing secrets, passive people. In 1936, Issigonis moved again, to the Morris Motor Company, as a project engineer on an independent front suspension system for the Morris 10, where his experience at Rootes would start to bear fruit. That is how many of us know about these cars or about many 1960s British cars, in general. 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. Many did not even make it through the warranty period without the transmission self-destructing. 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. He still worked to his consultancy agreement but did so almost exclusively from home, briefing and debriefing nominated BL engineers each morning. I wonder if he was to blame for the Mini never having a hatchback, or a more softly suspended version? This car basically took the Mini concept and enlarged it by 20%, adding some experience, and ambition, at the same time. 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. And the 1800 the rear seat really seemed limousine-like for the size of the car. View gallery - 6 images. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. The loss of British sovereignty led not only to a political defeat but also to an oil crisis. Copyright 2023. The Royal Navy Marines evacuated British Subjects, including the Issigonis family, from Smyrna before Turkey attacked. Moulton also designed folding, rubber suspended small-wheeled bicycles. The ease of driving it, attributable to Issigoniss careful and thoughtful suspension and steering design, as well as the comparatively low weight of the car, were factors in that as well as the comfort and space it provided. in there was a 1 hr "The Mini Man " -Sir Alec Issigonis 1906 - 1988 by great friend and car fanatic Peter Ustinov. Are you sure Renault had transverse-engine hatchbacks by 1974? 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. Joseph Lowrey, MOTOR: As soon [], Mr Alec Issigoniss New B.M.C. Iconic. I was amazed at the amount of space in that car you could even hide things in the cubbyhole under the rear seat. And Alec Issigonis? (I can remember seeing Austin Americas just a few years old being offered up for $50.) I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. If only it had had more power and better gearing. 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. Please check back soon for updates. View 6 Images. John Daly, Your email address will not be published. In a front-wheel-drive car, with more understeer and/or a bit more resistance at the wheel, this effect might be enhanced ? His name? How about an uncomfortable driver is a distracted driver? An amazing man, and someone who would probably never rise to prominence in todays auto industry. The original plan called for a large family car by 1960, to be followed by a smaller car and then a city car. 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. By 1964, BMC had built over one million front wheel drive vehicles, including over 800,000 Minis and over 200,000 ADO16s, and over a third were exported. There were, as CC has seen, many and varied reasons for the failure of the Landcrab and Maxi: the control (or rather the lack of it) exercised by Lord and Harriman over Issigonis; the inherited components; and marketing and production issues. 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. No wonder Issigonis felt flattered I feel very, very proud that so many people have copied me.. Alec Issigonis is a famous Entrepreneur. [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. Alec Issigonis was born in the Year of the Horse. I had a book about Issigonis, but its lost. I thought I knew everything about Issigonis already, but there were some fascinating insights here. 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. Well, he went down in history as the father of the Mini and was even raised to nobility for his services. Alec Issigonis was born in 1900s. XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the Morris 1100 with the Hydrolastic interconnected suspension system in August 1962. BLMC says, Archive : Lord Stokes writes to Alec Issigonis, Archive : How Harry Webster is going to shape your car, Archive : The Thoughts of Chairman Stokes, Archive : Issigonis The Giant Who Thought Small, Archive : Creative role for Issigonis in BMC board switch, Archive : Mr Issigonis looks to the future, Archive : Interview Motor meets Alec Issigonis, The cars : Alfa Romeo Alfasud development story, Opinion : Celebrating 40 years of the Austin Maestro, Essay : Austin Maestro styling the real killer, Concepts and prototypes : LM10 and LM11 facelifts, Archive : Coventry Council Debates Rover Crisis, News : PSA confirms continued van production in Luton. Issigoniss mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. 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. His name will always be associated with the Morris Minor and the Mini, but he was a complex man with a complex background, family, story and career. Prior to his death, Alec and his mother travelled overland to London. There was no radio fitted as he thought it would distract the driver. He was a complex man, with a complex background, family story and career. Cooper took the prototype out for a spin and realised this fuel-saving people's car cornered like no other. Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. Probably the closest British comparison is the Jaguar Mk 1 which came out in 1955 and was produced at a rate of around 10-15,000 for thirteen years. Despite its stated mission being to provide basic transport, this level of driving enjoyment, and capability, was like a non stop Christmas present. Issigonis had also been involved in the larger Oxford, Isis and Wolseley ranges. 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. British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. However, there was more to his life than just one car. The Automotive Hall of Fame. However, his story proves: never give up your dreams even if life puts obstacles in your way. Great write about a very clever guy, but he was wrong an uncomfortable driver is an irritable driver who fatigues rather more quickly, The Landcrab while being comfortable to ride in as a passenger is not so nice to drive nor are the smaller cars from BMC, there are many surviving ADO16s here and NZ is still the Morris Minor capital of the world they will never become rare here and for that matter neither will real Minis but 1800s and Maxis are quite thin on the ground already yet were popular new they werent very durable though, and the last Princess Ive seen is a rusty example outside the British car museum at Te Awanga, Personally having driven all his ideas the Morris Minor was his best one that saw production, I got my first car licence in a Morry Thou. Issigonis and his team produced a revolutionary car that featured a small exterior with a spacious passenger compartment and outstanding handling characteristics. [4] His maternal ancestors originated in the Kingdom of Wrttemberg. The relationship got to the point where Issigonis had the ideas, did the sketches and Daniels did the formal drawings. 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. 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. Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Cyber Sales Event Jewelry & Accessories Clothing & Shoes My sister had an MG 1100 which blew me away in 1970. Another thing Sir Alec did not think was important perhaps? 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. Issigonis spent his early years as an engineer with Morris Motors working on steering and suspension. At Alvis, Issigoniss main task was to lead the development of a more affordable, higher volume luxury car. 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. 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. We now call them Real Minis, to distinguish them from the post 2001 imitations. 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 [], CARS AND DRIVERS by GEOFFREY CHARLES Whatever the outcome of the BMH-Leyland merger in model rationalization, intensified marketing or expansion-and any joint project will not appear for at least 3 [], MOTOR WHY IS THE ADO16? But, as ever, events intervened in this case the Suez Crisis of 1956, complete with petrol rationing. His father was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from the Greek island, Paros. He was popular for being a Entrepreneur. But there were other 20th century cataclysms that he lived and worked through as a designer - including the Suez crisis of 1956. 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 . Issigonis' creation was remarkable, but it really only became a Mini when he got a little help from his friend, motorsport pioneer John Cooper. Nice to see that blue Morris Oxford just the same as our first car that I remember. Alec Issigonis, technical director of the British Motor Corporation and Charles Griffin, chief engineer, answer questions from our technical editor. Although primarily a station car, my parents also took it on a vacation through New England. Oxford Office. I have liked them ever since. 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. 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. 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? Constantine studied in England. Enter the length or pattern for better results. Sticks in my mind I read a road test that put engine speed at 60 around 4,000rpm. 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. If it was front engined, was it to be rear wheel or front wheel drive? My appreciation of Issigonis designs really came when Auntie Merle traded her Austin A30 (horrible car) for a Morris 1100. It was through his mother's kinships that Issigonis was a first cousin once removed to BMW and Volkswagen director Bernd Pischetsrieder.[5]. Enter a Crossword Clue Sort by Length 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. By 1969 Fiat had also followed with the 128, and by 1974 Peugeot, VW and Renault had transverse engine hatchbacks as well. He would instead research work on his Mini replacement the 9X with its compact transverse engine. In 1942, the first scale model was produced and the following year work began on a hand-formed steel prototype. Autokonstrukteur, GBPortrt mit Zigarette- 1959. 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. Been a fan of Alec Issigonis since I was 8 years old. " Sir Alec Issigonis. On the right is Alec Issigonis and standing next to him is John Cooper. Issigonis had the dream of becoming an automobile engineer at an early age. 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. with 8 letters was last seen on the March 01, 2023.We found 20 possible solutions for this clue. The irony being, of all the cars built in the world that follow his layout, none carry an Austin or Morris badge. Daniels effectively resumed his position as Issigoniss right hand man for the next ten years or more, guiding the interpretation of Issigoniss requests to the workshops, draughtsmen, production engineers and accountants. . Production only finished after BMW had bailed out of Rover in 2000. He was reluctant to consider features such as large boots or hatchbacks, or engine access, as important. In March 1957 Lord asked (more likely told, as Lord did not do asking) Issigonis to come up with something to compete with them. In 1956, the focus was shifted towards a new economy car and from here, the Mini was born in 1959. At the end of the Greek-Turkish war in 1922, British subjects in Smyrna were evacuated by the Royal Navy, ahead of the Turkish re-possession of the area from Greece, with manyinitially travelling to Malta. as an American familiar only with U.S. cars. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder. Issigonis showed little interest in things mechanical until he was well into his teens, not riding in a car until he was 14 years old, and was seemingly more interested in art, under the strong influence of his mother. The all-new Mini will be revealed today, on what would have been Mini creator Sir Alec Issigonis's 107th birthday. In October, 1957, just eight months after first putting pen to paper, the first prototypes were on the road. When I was in grade school in the mid-70s, the next door neighbor of my best friend had 6 Minis. This generation experienced much of their youth during the Great Depression and rapid technological innovation such as the radio and the telephone. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . [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. Your email address will not be published. Maybe it takes that sort of single-mindedness, bordering on obsession, to create something different, get it into production in spite of obstacles and naysayers, and make it a success. In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. He continued to be responsible for his original XC projects. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis ( 1906-1988 ) was an exceptional car designer who is best known for his development of the Mini.He was born in Smyrna ( Izmir ) in Turkey, the son of British-Greek parents. Alec completed his education at an English boarding school, and in 1925, took a two month tour, by car, of Europe with his mother before returning to take a place at Battersea Polytechnic in south London, to study mechanical engineering. It interested me as I had the honour of working with sir Alec for around 3 months. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. The Landcrab and Maxi were so butt ugly that no self respecting petrolhead would be seen it one. FamousBirthdays.com - use subject to the practices disclosed in our privacy policy. BMC made cuts of 6,000 in the labour force almost overnight and without consultation, whilst Lord noted the sales of the imported European bubble cars. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. 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. 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's mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. Alec Issigonis - Etsy Check out our alec issigonis selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. A deeply flawed genius at best. Sketch by the late Sir Alec Issigonis, of the original Morris Minor, circa 1946. This page is updated often with fresh details about Alec Issigonis. 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.