Demosthenis acquired British nationality through the work he did for the British-built Smyrna-Aydin Railway. I wonder if he was to blame for the Mini never having a hatchback, or a more softly suspended version? 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. This would have been in the early 70s when they were literally everywhere. Issigonis would work on the 9X programme, which included a replacement Mini and a new and innovative gearless transmission system. 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. Issigoniss mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. The Mini was launched in 1959, and became instantly popular. Was it to be water or air cooled? 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. [4] His maternal ancestors originated in the Kingdom of Wrttemberg. The cars design with its front wheel drive and independent suspension provided good road handling, but Issigonis had scant regard for passenger comfort. Alec Issigonis and Dr Alex Moulton, the creator of Hydrolastic and Hydragas suspension, with a Morris 1100, circa 1962. 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! ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular 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. Issigonis usually won, even when entered in the 1100cc class if there was no 750cc category. A testament to brilliant design or to the modern industrys tendencies towards aversion of risk, I wont say surely some of both. Enter the length or pattern for better results. Morriss chief engineer, A V (Vic) Oak, recognised that Issigoniss greatest asset was his imagination but also noted that it needed to be guided firmly but carefully to bring out the best of it. Our tool for managing your permission to our use of cookies is temporarily offline. View gallery - 6 images. Sir Alec Issigonis hadn't even seen a car until he was 12 years old. The Boudjah - Smyrna born Alec Issigonis was an engineering genius and even after his death there is a fan base for his cars. Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio and was born in the G.I. . Red: Yeah, its mine. . 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. A truly fascinating man he was. The original Minor design was so narrow they had to chop it lengthways and widen it. 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. People : Sir Alec Issigonis - AROnline Another Mini! I wanted to know the genesis. The family is almost penniless. 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. . Zodiac Sign: Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio. The initials "G.I." 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. meantime, John preferred his psychedelic Rolls .. Roger, hats off for this excellent treatment of an engineering legend. Ford clinging to the T too long was the same sort of corporate inertia that had VW clinging to the Bug too long. On the surface it didnt appear very desirable to Me, or to prospective new-car buyers. [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. 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. 10 Things Everyone Forgot About Mini And Its Cars His mother was from Bavaria. A reliable car with excellent steering and cornering qualities, it was the first all-British car to pass the one million mark in sales; surviving models are still cherished by owners and collectors. Thanks for a wonderfully researched article! My Family's Cars and Industry Pivots: Transverse Mounted Front Wheel Drive Issigonis was a good packaging designer. Not something one would anticipate until it is experienced. Issigonis's own automotive career as a designer and engineer in England first took shape during the early 1930s when he began working for the vehicle manufacturer . Alec Issigonis Related Authors Vivienne Westwood Quotes Virgil Abloh Quotes Coco Chanel Quotes Carroll Shelby Quotes 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! 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. The Mini caused a sensation with its design and rather small size in the late 1950s thanks to its inventor, the Englishman Alec Issigonis. 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. I saw this tiny car among the Buicks Oldsmobiles Mercurys and Chevrolet Impalas that were the usual fare. The relationship got to the point where Issigonis had the ideas, did the sketches and Daniels did the formal drawings. To achieve this feat, Issigonis utilized a front wheel drive layout with a transverse-mounted engine, the first modern application of this concept. Even more significantly, it effectively defined the configuration of the small and medium car for the next 50 years. This is the main reason Lord re-hired Issigonis. 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. 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. Nearly $1900 was pretty stiff pricing for a car that size in the mid 60s, $150 more than a Bug. I remember being quite put off by the sound of the engine seemingly racing to maintain 45mph. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. 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 Building 9400 Oxford Business Park North Alec Issigonis Way Oxford OX4 2HN At the age of 30 he worked for the Morris Engineering Department and celebrated his first success with the construction of the Morris Minor. It confronted the conservative image of BMC head on, even if the rest of BMC range didnt. Absolutely brilliant article about an engineering genius. View 6 Images. 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. He took advantage of other peoples suspension designs, Moultons rubber cones and the isolastic, as they freed up more space. It was apparent to Morriss senior managers that Issigonis was cut from a different cloth compared to his contemporaries. 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. 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. Contact - Oxbotica BL were in thrall of the myth theyd created, but the buying public had much more sense. He worked on various projects for Morris through the war and towards its end started work on an advanced post war car codenamed Mosquito that became the Morris Minor, which was produced from 1948 until 1971. Alec Issigonis. Professor Alex Moulton. 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. Alec Issigoniss birth sign is Scorpio and he had a ruling planet of Pluto. This was to be an advanced saloon with all aluminium V-8 engine, and the original plan was for Alvis to produce 5,000 cars a year, or ten times Alviss current production rate, to compete with Riley (not then a badge engineered BMC product), Rover, Sunbeam-Talbot and Jaguar. [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. 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. On a cheerier note, Id love to see that Alvin on the flesh. Remembering Designer of the Mini Cooper, Alec Issigonis The rest is racing . A British citizen born in Turkey in 1906, Issigonis did not see an automobile until he was 12 years old. This strong streak of fierce independence and lack of compromise hid his lateral approach to the design and engineering of cars. Issigonis's mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. Alec Issigonis - Wikipdia, a enciclopdia livre Biography: Sir Alec Issigonis - The Designer of Britain's Favourite One thing that I learnt the hard way well not the hard way, the easy way when youre designing a new car for production, never, never copy the opposition, declared Issigonis, when asked to summarise his approach to car design. Youre right about maintenance. The Axis Powers? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. They kept it several years until they decided they needed their 1st air-conditioned car a 66 LeMans. It was the highlight of my career and came early as I was just 18 years old and just an apprentice engineer for a tractor company. On the right is Alec Issigonis and standing next to him is John Cooper. 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. Gillett was developing a freewheel device for use on cars, partly as a refinement and fuel economy device, and partly to reduce the need for double declutching gearchanges in the pre-synchromesh era. is bigger, and is just one of a family of related models. Alec Issigonis - Wikipedie The first application of Sir Alec Issigonis' engineering breakthrough - All Photos by Randy Stern, except otherwise noted Remember Sir Alec Issigonis? an alec issigonis family car launched in 1969 (6,4) Crossword Clue He managed to obtain his Diploma, but was not admitted to advanced studies. Issigonis and Dowson then travelled into Austria to the mountain climb competition at the then new Grossglockner Hochalpen Pass. [9] He was cremated at the Lodge Hill Cemetery in nearby Selly Oak. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. The Motor Museum in Miniature By the time the chassis had been completed, Issigonis had somehow got hold of an Austin supplied works specification supercharged side-valve engine as well. The 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. Mr. Front-Wheel Drive: Sir Alec Issigonis - Academia.edu An image from the 1964 Racing Car Show in the aftermath of the Mini's first Monte Carlo Rally win. 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. My sister had an MG 1100 which blew me away in 1970. 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? 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? 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. His family had to flee Smyrne to es- cape the genocide of 1922 by the Turks. This prototype never saw the light of day mores the pity. He left Morris in 1952 for Alvis just as BMC was created from Austin and Morris (as well as Riley, Wolseley and MG).. During 1956 Issigonis concentrated on the larger two cars, producing several prototypes for testing. Again,Issigonis was able to get close to some of the most impressive cars of the era, and take ideas and influences home. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (Greek: , )CBE FRS RDI (18 November 1906 2 October 1988) was a British-Greek automotive designer. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). BMCs Great Leap Forward was a bold move, unfortunately marred by the inability to check Issigonis tendencies that often put the buyer last instead of first. Sir Alec Issigonis | British automobile designer | Britannica I got to drive his Red mini when I went for fish and chips on a Friday. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Alec Issigonis - Etsy He excelled in mechanical drawing, but failed his mathematics exams three times. In 1969, in recognition of his engineering genius, Queen Elizabeth granted him Knighthood. 2939 Words; 12 Pages; 6 Works Cited; Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles This guilt convinces Tess that she must now travel to the D'Urbervilles' home and claim kin with them. 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. Im sure this was never part of Issigoniss plan, as he was anti-style, but only the 1100 benefited from external help. The all-new Mini will be revealed today, on what would have been Mini creator Sir Alec Issigonis's 107th birthday. The Austin/Morris Mini was He didnt say by 1974 in regard to VW and Renault. Alec Issigonis was born in Turkey. 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. Shunning all offers of silver service with the management. " Sir Alec Issigonis. Alec Issigonis Quotes - BrainyQuote There he witnessed the awe inspiring (and Nazi funded) Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix cars, as well as the Alfa Romeo P3 of Nuvolari, which won the race, much to the Nazis discomfort. Alec Issigonis, technical director of the British Motor Corporation and Charles Griffin, chief engineer, answer questions from our technical editor. Issigonis did observe and try to improve on what he saw, but always challenged himself to be original and better. Alec Issigonis It is much easier to drive without having an accident. If (and I have no evidence and make no suggestions) a young Issigonis had been outed in, say, the early 1950s, his career progression would likely have been ended even, without any prosecution. Alec Issigonis: The Greek Creator of the Mini Car Sir Alec Issigonis. 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. Alec Issigonis | Classic Cars Wiki | Fandom He would attend the usual motor shows, but often would refuse to look in detail at the competition, so he did not become confused. 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 was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. Family Life His father died in 1922, at which point he and his mother moved to the U.K.. Associated With He and Frank Stephenson are both famous car designers. Friendly was ideal for owner-buyers, a large part of the British car buying public, but never appealed to thrusting young execs and salesmen, which is why BLMC was so desperate for the Marina to crack the fleet market. 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. Alec issigonis hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy I was mesmerized and I saw my schoolmate being dropped off by his older brother who was on his way to high school. I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. Moultons hydrolastic suspension as installed on the BMC ADO16 by Issigonis. 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 was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. If so, that would seem vindictive on Days part. He was a complex man, with a complex background, family story and career. He was a race car driver during the 30's and 40's. He attended Londons Battersea Polytechnic before entering the University of London External Programme. 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. He lived with his mother to whom he was devoted, until her death in 1972, latterly in Edgbaston in Birmingham, in a large bungalow, divided into two wings. His father was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from the Greek island, Paros. Back the early 2,000 B.C. 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.
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