I wouldnt say Day was offended but took it as evidence that Issigoniss time has passed and that the value Rover were getting from the consultancy was minimal, and it was effectively indulging Issigonis, something Turnbull and Donald Stokes could afford t0 do (and knew looked rational) in 1970. Ive never been inside a Landcrab or a Maxi, but I understand that while they are very spacious, the ergonomics are pretty poor. As a Morris Minor owner I appreciated it . Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? Issigonis never married; most accounts suggest that he was probably gay but he was obviously unable to express himself without huge risk to his professional status and even the risk of prosecution. Historiography: The Misapplication of Issigonis' Engineering Breakthrough 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. THE CREATOR OF AN ICONIC CAR: ALEC ISSIGONIS. A British citizen born in Turkey in 1906, Issigonis did not see an automobile until he was 12 years old. Alec Issigonis. 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. Issigonis returned to BMC to design a range of family vehicles. The Greek Designer of the Iconic British Mini Car - GreekReporter.com 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. 130 King Street West, Exchange Tower, Suite 1800, Toronto, Canada, M5X 1E3. 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 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. Oxford Study Courses ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. an alec issigonis family car launched in 1969 (6,4) Crossword Clue Building 9400 Oxford Business Park North Alec Issigonis Way Oxford OX4 2HN Lord (later Lord Lambury, above) had big ambitions for BMC and initially tasked Issigonis with developing the basis for a range of modern family cars to replace the existing collection of BMC products. Although primarily a station car, my parents also took it on a vacation through New England. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). However, there was more to his life than just one car. Alec Issigonis An expert is someone who tells you why you can't do something. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. Alec is also well known as, British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. But it was an exciting period, and youve captured his personality and lasting impact well. Great article there should be a movie about Issigonis! 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. Issigonis (just in view at the far right) was not involved in the engineering of this car, but was able to start a long term friendship with Battista and Sergio Pininfarina,seenstanding next the car with Leonard Lord and George Harriman. That Alvis is one of those missed opportunities that ultimately doomed the company. Alec issigonis hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy As a young man, Constantine was sent to England to study, and he later married Hulda Prokopp, the daughter of a wealthy German brewer in Smyrna. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". . A deeply flawed genius at best. From 1925-1928 he studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. But there were other 20th century cataclysms that he lived and worked through as a designer - including the Suez crisis of 1956. Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? Towards the end of WW2, he began work on the Mosquito project, which ended up being launched in 1948 as the Morris Minor. The Austin/Morris Mini was BMC was producing over 11,000 Issigonis-designed front-wheel-drive models a week, with demand still exceeding production, which was continually increased. 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. An amazing man, and someone who would probably never rise to prominence in todays auto industry. Alec Issigonis - the genius behind the Mini and the Morris Minor - AROnline 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. The cars design with its front wheel drive and independent suspension provided good road handling, but Issigonis had scant regard for passenger comfort. Contact - Oxbotica Alec Issigonis is part of G.I. 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. By the time the chassis had been completed (hard labourit was all done by hand, no power tools), Issigonis had moved to Morris Motors Limited, but Austin supplied a "works" specification supercharged side-valve engine. . The boxy, inexpensive, fuel-efficient Mini used a transverse engine to power its front wheelsa radical design at the timeand thus could comfortably seat four passengers despite being only 10 feet (3 m) long. 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. However, as we all know, it was no profit-maker for BMC and, during its hyper-successful first decade on the market, its maker cruelly and criminally failed to develop the concept into something that the customers truly wanted a hatchback. Alec Issigonis, the man who dreamed of the Mini - Archyde 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 initials "G.I." 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. To get to this point wasnt easy. Biography: Sir ALEC issigonis - The designer of Britain's favourite cars, Britain's favourite car designer . as an American familiar only with U.S. cars. 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. 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. 1988: The Passing of an Automotive Legend - Transportation History Meanwhile from 1930, he raced a supercharged Ulster Austin Seven, and fitted it with an independent front suspension of his own design. Alec Issigonis, technical director of the British Motor Corporation and Charles Griffin, chief engineer, answer questions from our technical editor. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. Below are all possible answers to this clue ordered by its rank. Issigonis legacy - Education Sir Alecs design which we built won the design centre award. My Family's Cars and Industry Pivots: Transverse Mounted Front Wheel Drive 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. Corrections? Sir Alec Constantine Issigonis, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire on November 18, 1906, is famous for designing the beloved Mini Cooper motor car. Issigonis usually won, even when entered in the 1100cc class if there was no 750cc category. Therefore some functionality is missing. My appreciation of Issigonis designs really came when Auntie Merle traded her Austin A30 (horrible car) for a Morris 1100. It is arguably doubtful that Lord, knowing Issigonis better, would have seen him as the ideal candidate for the overall technical leadership of BMC. Address 8050 Alec Issigonis Way, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford, OX4 2HW. Matchbox featured an MG 1100 in its 1-75 line-up for many years. His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. Issigoniss first project was to design an independent suspension for Rootes highest volume car, the Hillman Minx. 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. A testament to brilliant design or to the modern industrys tendencies towards aversion of risk, I wont say surely some of both. Demosthenis's son (Alec's father) Constantine Issigonis (Greek: ), was born, with British nationality, in Smyrna in 1872. It amounted to no more than surface rust on the chassis. Prior to his death, Alec and his mother travelled overland to London. Enter your username or email to reset your password. At the time of his retirement, 71, hatchbacks were not the thing they were 4 years later. He was known for being a Entrepreneur. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industrys great independent thinkers. From then onwards, any car in the small or medium market without a transverse engine was considered unusual, and conservative. An engineering genius and godfather of of the Mini. Biography: Sir Alec Issigonis - The Designer of Britain's Favourite I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. 104 Alec Issigonis Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 104 Alec Issigonis Premium High Res Photos Browse 104 alec issigonis stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Sir Alec Issigonis - Small Cars, Big Ideas - Cars Less Traveled Having failed his mathematics exams three times, subsequently declaring it 'the most uncreative subject you can study',[3] Issigonis decided to enter the University of London External Programme to complete his university education. * Commander of the British Empire (1964), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1967), Royal Designer for Industry (1964). The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. Zodiac Sign: Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio. In 1922 the family left Turkey for England, as all British people were banished from the country.