This was partly because of the cost but also because in 1953 Ford bought Briggs UK operations and 1954 BMC bought Fisher & Ludlow. 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). is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". 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. 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. Stokes was heard on his appointment to say: "We'll sharp sort this bloke Issigonis out!". [], The most comprehensive story youll ever read about the aborted 9X programme the ill-fated Mini replacement, engineered by the man who created the original. His love/hate relationship with the companys products stayed with []. 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. It was 1961 when the humble little people-mover fell into the hands of British racing legend John Cooper. The war prevented this design from going into production but it was later used on the MG Y-type. Issigonis 'response was dry and forceful:'I'm an engineer. [9] He was cremated at the Lodge Hill Cemetery in nearby Selly Oak. Suffice to say it was an ambitious project for a family of compact cars - the smaller of the pair shorter overall than . It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. 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. 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. 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. 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. They kept it several years until they decided they needed their 1st air-conditioned car a 66 LeMans. And the 1800 the rear seat really seemed limousine-like for the size of the car. As a matter of interest, go to this site: and click on the Letter From Dr. Alex Moulton link. Alec Issigonis was born on the 18th of November, 1906. Alexander Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna (now Izmir) in Ottoman Turkey. Chinese Zodiac: Alec Issigonis was born in the Year of the Rabbit. The above photo is a publicity shot with the first produced Mini, at his retirement in 1972. 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. This post and its visuals and videos explains this pivotal vector of the international industry with such clarity and depth. Great summary of a giant of industrial design. Birth Name: Alec Issigonis Occupation: Entrepreneur Place Of Birth: Turkey Date Of Birth: November 18, 1906 Date Of Death: October 2, 1988 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: Greek Alec Issigonis was born on the 18th of November, 1906. Copyright 2011 - 2023 Curbside Classics. Dear Mr Day I have not met you but I feel I must write to explain a few points. 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. . That Alvis is one of those missed opportunities that ultimately doomed the company. I was mesmerized and I saw my schoolmate being dropped off by his older brother who was on his way to high school. 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. Omissions? 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. Kereta rekaannya, BMC Mini dilancarkan dalam tahun 1959. Heynes later became Technical Director at Jaguar and was a personal friend of Issigonis for many years. Contents Early life and education Career Legacy Honours Some of his cars 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. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . If so, that would seem vindictive on Days part. Rover used the freewheel extensively, on cars and Land Rovers, into the 1960s. His last Morris projects were the 1953 Morris Oxford and Isis saloons, launched after the BMC merger, and which used the BMC B series engine. Due to time pressures, the interconnected suspension system that Issigonis had planned for the car was replaced by an equally novel, but cruder, rubber cone system designed by Alex Moulton. This prototype never saw the light of day mores the pity. 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 . 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. 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. 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 . 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. He failed his degree course but gained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering, at the third attempt, in 1928. He did not want more conventional answers, without at least exploring some technical advances. The MG 1100 Sport Sedan a perfect choice when a two-seater MG is too small. He was impossible to work with, had Henry Fords arrogance and nearly bankrupted the company like Ford, by refusing to listen to anyone. A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE OF THE MINI FOUNDER. During this time he started to build a special sprint racer with a friend. By 1969 Fiat had also followed with the 128, and by 1974 Peugeot, VW and Renault had transverse engine hatchbacks as well. Despite its stated mission being to provide basic transport, this level of driving enjoyment, and capability, was like a non stop Christmas present. The image his cars achieved for BMC was arguably a factor in the survival of the company in the market place, and BMC used his personality extensively in advertising whichyou can imagine Issigonis publicly hating but privately loving. Zodiac Sign: Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio. Address 8050 Alec Issigonis Way, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford, OX4 2HW. It was still in production when BMW, led by Bernd Pischetsreider, bought Rover in 1994. Issigonis' creation was remarkable, but it really only became a Mini when he got a little help from his friend, motorsport pioneer John Cooper. Humber was the upscale brand of the Rootes Group, but also the name of the main car building company in the Group. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. 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? British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In 1968, he was appointed as Director of Advanced Research of the newly formed British Leyland, and Harry Webster from Triumph became BLMCs Engineering Director. His retirement gift from the company was the largest available Meccano set, complete with a steam engine. I was eight when my dad bought one of those brand new cars at a reduced price from the NYC dealer $850 for an Austin 850 ($6,800 in 2016 money) I hope he knew that he changed the Automobile World for the better. 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. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. Alec Issigonis and Dr Alex Moulton, the creator of Hydrolastic and Hydragas suspension, with a Morris 1100, circa 1962. But his true interest was in the 9X and its power unit, and getting a version of it accepted by BL. Issgonis preferred to work by sketching his ideas onto Arclight pads, each numbered in sequence and retained, and then having Daniels, looking after chassis elements, or another close confidant John Sheppard, looking after the body shell itself, work to turn these in physical reality. 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. 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. 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. 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. It was designed to follow on from the Mini and 1100 as the next generation . The greatest overall compatibility with Scorpio is Taurus and Cancer. The rest is racing . In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. Excellent article. There was no radio fitted as he thought it would distract the driver. The inability of these cars to withstand business case scrutiny crucial in the companys decline, and others must also stand up for that -Issigonis didnt claim to be a product planner in the sense Ford would recognise but saw all his cars as separate entities. The relationship got to the point where Issigonis had the ideas, did the sketches and Daniels did the formal drawings. Plenty of space and comfort in the back, as I recall, but my fathers Rover P6 was much more stylish. The Austin/Morris Mini was Dr.Ing. Alec Issigonis, technical director of the British Motor Corporation and Charles Griffin, chief engineer, answer questions from our technical editor. I was amazed at the amount of space in that car you could even hide things in the cubbyhole under the rear seat. [3] His paternal grandfather, Demosthenis, had migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s and Constantine was a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer. The suspension was trailing arms at the front, attached to a steel cross-member, and a swing axle rear, all with rubber springs made of catapult elastic. For his accomplishments, Queen Elizabeth knighted Issigonis in 1969. is bigger, and is just one of a family of related models. 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. 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 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. . I have liked them ever since. For Alec Issigonis it was THE chance to prove himself. Not something one would anticipate until it is experienced. As you know I was away when the little ceremony took place to mark your retirement and I have, of [], Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the Mini, among other cars, is to remain design consultant with British Leyland after he goes into semi-retirement at the end of the month. It was apparent to Morriss senior managers that Issigonis was cut from a different cloth compared to his contemporaries. What a great, nicely balanced piece about the ever-controversial Sir Alec, and his equally controversial designs. Alec Issigoniss birth sign is Scorpio and he had a ruling planet of Pluto. To achieve this feat, Issigonis utilized a front wheel drive layout with a transverse-mounted engine, the first modern application of this concept. (first posted 10/24/2016) Alec Issigonis, along with Sir Henry Royce and perhaps Colin Chapman, has the greatest name recognition in the UK for any British car designer or engineer. At the opening of the factory BMC was represented by Sir Alec Issigonis. Like many famous people and celebrities, Alec Issigonis kept his personal life private. Alec Issigonis It is much easier to drive without having an accident. Maybe because theyd lost the Issigonis chassis manners? The Mini quickly became cult and had enthusiastic fans worldwide. Designer Alec Issigonis was born in the southern Anatolian city of Smyrna in 1906. 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. At some point in the mid-60s they ran an After the New Wears Off feature by an MG 1100 owner in Los Angeles. . In a front-wheel-drive car, with more understeer and/or a bit more resistance at the wheel, this effect might be enhanced ? The car, as developed in a prototype form, showed potential as well as technical ambition the cars unitary construction made it relatively light and strong, it offered 6 seats, had a rear mounted transaxle, including the clutch, inboard rear brakes, long wheelbase configuration so typical of Issigonis and a modern, sophisticated 3.5 litre V8 engine. He said the engine was turning 4500 rpm at 68 mph and commented, This seems fast enough for an obsolete three-bearing long-stroke engine., Digging up the articles is left as an exercise for the student. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. He immigrated to Britain in 1922, studied engineering and in 1948 masterminded the Morris Minor, the first British car to sell more than a million. The key point to the genesis of the Minor is that Issigonis owned the whole design, including the exterior style, the interior,which had some of the starkness and simple functionality familiar from Issigoniss later designs. In 1969, in recognition of his engineering genius, Queen Elizabeth granted him Knighthood. Independence is one of their greatest strengths, but sometimes they're overly frank with others. Corrections? His fingerprints are all over other cars, too, the Austin 1800 Land Crab and the Austin Maxi for example, but not always as successfully, as we shall see. Professor Alex Moulton. The closure of the Suez canal created . It was, though, used on the postwar MG Y Type saloons. Issigonis officially retired from the motor industry in 1971, although he continued working until shortly before his death in 1988 at his house in Edgbaston, Birmingham. 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. Sir Alec Issigonis started his career at Humber, known for their Humber Snipe and Humber Hawk models, even Queen Elizabeth II owned a Humber. Issigonis first concepts were rear wheel drive, with a conventional drive train, fully independent suspension set on a long wheelbase with short overhangs and very rudimentary styling. 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. From then onwards, any car in the small or medium market without a transverse engine was considered unusual, and conservative. The gearbox in sump was a dead end in terms of automotive design. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. The car was launched at the 1948 London Motor Show, alongside the Land Rover and Jaguar XK120, and the rest is pure CC history. The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3million cars. Sir Alec Issigonis celebrates one of the many milestones of the Mini dynasty. The Axis Powers? In 1952, just as the British Motor Corporation (BMC) was formed by the merger of Morris and Austin, he moved to Alvis Cars where he designed an advanced saloon with all-aluminium V-8 engine, and experimented with interconnected independent suspension systems. He was born in 1906 in a city that is now known as Izmir, in Turkey which itself can trace its . Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Unique. Chrysler also took a licence to manufacture the device, which was an integral part of their pioneering overdrive in 1934. Are you sure Renault had transverse-engine hatchbacks by 1974? Day terminated the consultancy agreement, without any more consultation. Another Mini! Im sure this was never part of Issigoniss plan, as he was anti-style, but only the 1100 benefited from external help. He was popular for being a Entrepreneur. Austin Maxi: Big On The Inside But Not On The Outside, What a great write up Roger. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. And his father, a Greek by origin and British by nationality, had inherited a marine engine construction company, an activity that fascinated little Alec. The Royal Navy Marines evacuated British Subjects, including the Issigonis family, from Smyrna before Turkey attacked. Issigonis and Dowson then travelled into Austria to the mountain climb competition at the then new Grossglockner Hochalpen Pass. 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. Issigonis designed a unitary construction saloon and the V8 engine, and utilised Moultons latest interconnected rubber suspension. [4] Well, he went down in history as the father of the Mini and was even raised to nobility for his services. Autokonstrukteur, GBPortrt mit Zigarette- 1959. 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. He didnt give a damn about the poor sods who had to work on his cars. The mini leaked like a sieve because of the way hed designed the sills and had to be redesigned. At the age of 30 he worked for the Morris Engineering Department and celebrated his first success with the construction of the Morris Minor. The strengths of this sign are being resourceful, brave, passionate, a true friend, while weaknesses can be distrusting, jealous, secretive and violent. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. Your email address will not be published. Issigonis studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. This undated sketch by Issigonis shows some of this. 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. Found an ad for the US market 1100. As a Morris Minor owner I appreciated it . (The Maxi, by comparison, was a bland lump.). He was a race car driver during the 30s and 40s. Issigonis was giving punters what they needed, rather than what they wanted. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS (November 18, 1906-October 2, 1988) was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959. Decades later, despite enormous further developments, the vehicle has lost none of its initial charm. 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. He would instead research work on his Mini replacement the 9X with its compact transverse engine. 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.
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