Alec is also well known as, British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born in the Turkish town of Smyrna, today's Izmir, as the son of a Briton of Greek origin and a mother from Bavaria, on 18 November 1906. Alec Issigonis - Wikipedia However, his story proves: never give up your dreams even if life puts obstacles in your way. This car was remarkably light, weighing 587lb, of which the engine contributed 252lb. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis: an insight into the great man, from an interview originally published in Autocar magazine to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Mini. Harris Mann, having a clean sheet, not giving the Allegro or Princess a hatch in the mid 70s is another matter. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . This page is updated often with fresh details about Alec Issigonis. Alec Issigonis Facts for Kids - Kiddle Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? Copyright 2023. Happy birthday to the Mini - New Atlas Corrections? ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. . 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. Encouraged by the success of the Morris Minor, Issigonis continued his design work at Morris (including work on a replacement for the Minor with a transverse 4 cylinderengine with an endon gearbox) until the merger with the Austin in 1952 to form BMC. As such he was of the generation who experienced the privations of two apocalyptic world wars. A British citizen born in Turkey in 1906, Issigonis did not see an automobile until he was 12 years old. 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. Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. I dont have any great memories of the Mini to share, though you saw them everywhere. Daniels (right) and Sheppard (left), no doubt, had to smooth a few ruffled feathers on the way. Another thing Sir Alec did not think was important perhaps? Issigonis was born in Smyrna in 1906. 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). As a person whos worked as a CAD drafter for 24 years, I wonder what his objection to CAD was. I saw one, in 79 or 80, sold here as the MG Sports Sedan. Another Mini! 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. . PDF SIR ALEC ISSIGONIS was an automobile engineer whose name will always be Heynes later became Technical Director at Jaguar and was a personal friend of Issigonis for many years. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . That's exactly what he did. Alec Issigoniss birth sign is Scorpio and he had a ruling planet of Pluto. the outer planets, Uranus and Neptune were not yet discovered, since the telescope had not yet been invented. His name? This undated sketch by Issigonis shows some of this. He didnt say by 1974 in regard to VW and Renault. Been a fan of Alec Issigonis since I was 8 years old. Please check back soon for updates. Therefore, when Alec's father, Constantine Issigonis, was born in Smyrna in 1872, he was also a British national. Stokes was heard on his appointment to say: "We'll sharp sort this bloke Issigonis out!". The MG 1100 Sport Sedan a perfect choice when a two-seater MG is too small. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). To achieve this feat, Issigonis utilized a front wheel drive layout with a transverse-mounted engine, the first modern application of this concept. The Mini, and the other Issigonis BMC front wheel drive cars, benefited from Issigonis continuing collaboration with Alex Moulton and his suspension system developments. Get In Touch Call or Email. 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 []. Alec Issigonis Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography . Alec Issigonis was born in Smyrna (now Izmir) in Turkey on 18 November 1906 to a British-naturalized father of Greek origin and a Bavarian-born mother. The childhood . 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. BMC . He became the engineering director of the British Motor Corporation in 1964, and was . He attended London's Battersea Polytechnic before entering the University of London External Programme. Alec Issigonis is part of G.I. What a great. And I myself have engineered a few things with the help of Jack Daniels . Issigonis's mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. with 8 letters was last seen on the March 01, 2023.We found 20 possible solutions for this clue. He was a race car driver during the 30s and 40s. The irony being, of all the cars built in the world that follow his layout, none carry an Austin or Morris badge. [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). The first car I could identify was apparently a Mini and my mother still tells the story of an early trip to England where I wouldnt be quiet Ein Mini! Noch ein Mini! In 1969, in recognition of his engineering genius, Queen Elizabeth granted him Knighthood. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. https://www.mini.com/ 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 . Everyman Classics: Mid-Century Visionary 1 : Alec Issigonis as an American familiar only with U.S. cars. 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 have heard some slander about his idea of putting the gearbox in the engine sump, but otherwise, he changed transportation for the masses on a scale not seen since Henry Ford. Alec Issigonis, the brilliant British designer of the Morris Minor and the Mini, is one of the commanding figures in the history of automobile design and engineering. Aos 16 mudou-se para Inglaterra onde iria cursar engenharia. Issigonis was giving punters what they needed, rather than what they wanted. Many did not even make it through the warranty period without the transmission self-destructing. His father was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from the Greek island, Paros. My sister had an MG 1100 which blew me away in 1970. The Axis Powers? The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3million cars. Sounds like his stubbornness had a lot in common with Henry Ford and his reluctance to move on from the Model T. Imagine trying to take him seriously when he declared an uncomfortable driver is an alert driver. This isnt 1942. Therefore some functionality is missing. Fascinating lost papers from the man who created the Mini and the. Below are all possible answers to this clue ordered by its rank. 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 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 | Classic Cars Wiki | Fandom Alec Issigonis - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia Stooping just under six feet in height, he looms large at any [], By GEOFFREY CHARLES, Motoring Correspondent A high-level reshuffle of BMC directors areas of responsibility was announced yesterday as part of a streamlining process before completion of the BMH-Leyland merger. Sir Alec Issigonis - Motoring Weekly Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. But accounts do suggest it done in a pretty crass way. Issigonis had also been involved in the larger Oxford, Isis and Wolseley ranges. During this time he started to build a special sprint racer with a friend. He was popular for being a Entrepreneur. 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 died in October 1988, aged 82. Manual transmissions seemed to hold up ok,lasting at least as long as the engine. Issigonis and his team produced a revolutionary car that featured a small exterior with a spacious passenger compartment and outstanding handling characteristics. 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. SOL 258H is the oldest surviving gearless car and was the preferred transport of Sir Alex Issigonis. 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. 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. By 1939, Issigonis had replaced his modified Austin Seven with a more radical car of his own design, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting, in what we would now call a composite construction. Alec Issigonis - Bio, Personal Life, Family & Cause Of Death - CelebsAges When is Alec Issigoniss birthday? Vic Oak and Reginald Hanks, Morriss Managing Director did though, arranging a 50% salary increase for Issigonis in April 1948, to 1500 per year. Alec Issigonis - Wikipedie The Greek Designer of the Iconic British Mini Car - GreekReporter.com He convinced Issigonis to ready the Mini for the Rallye Monte Carlo. 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. Issigonis spent his early years as an engineer with Morris Motors working on steering and suspension. Mini: a brief history - The Telegraph 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. 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. Sir Alec Constantine Issigonis, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire on November 18, 1906, is famous for designing the beloved Mini Cooper motor car. To clarify, the Renault 4, 5 (first generation, Le Car), 6 and 16 all had longitudinally mounted engines. 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. Austin Maxi: Big On The Inside But Not On The Outside, What a great write up Roger. It didnt just raise the bar it kicked it into next week ! Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? Born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire (now zmir, Turkey) on November 18, 1906, Issigonis immigrated to England with his family in 1922 and later studied engineering at . I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. Alec Issigonis - Wikipdia, a enciclopdia livre 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? 8050 Alec Issigonis Way, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX4 2HW. It is arguably doubtful that Lord, knowing Issigonis better, would have seen him as the ideal candidate for the overall technical leadership of BMC. Born in Turkey, Issigonis come to England as a teenager. Even more significantly, it effectively defined the configuration of the small and medium car for the next 50 years. In a front-wheel-drive car, with more understeer and/or a bit more resistance at the wheel, this effect might be enhanced ? Ive often wondered how its 35 horses managed the Berkshires . 37 Sir Alec Issigonis Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images Your article sure did him justice; thank you, Roger. Morris 1100. It was at Alvis that Issigonis first worked with another of the influential characters of his career. Biography: Sir Alec Issigonis - The Designer of Britain's Favourite 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. At the end of 1955, Issigonis moved to BMC to head up the development of the corporations new family of cars. : Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis , CBE, FRS, RDI 19061118-1988102 . 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.
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