His retirement gift from the company was the largest available Meccano set, complete with a steam engine. Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? 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. O interesse pelo automvel veio aos 12 anos, quando ele viu um pela primeira vez. Here in Australia they didnt seem particularly small, but they were certainly a lot more roomy than the competition. BMC and Issigonis were awarded the Dewar Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) for the innovative design and production of the Mini. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. 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. Austin Maxi: Big On The Inside But Not On The Outside, What a great write up Roger. I dont remember Dad as being what youd call a sporting driver, but he never considered the later Austin-based Oxfords. A truly great man and an honour for me. 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. 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. 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. On October 2, 1988, he passed . Back in 1980 a friends father of mine who was a MP sergeant owned a then new Mini Cooper 1275 cc. He died in October 1988, aged 82. Sir Alec Issigonis hadn't even seen a car until he was 12 years old. Prior to his death, Alec and his mother travelled overland to London. 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. [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). Day terminated the consultancy agreement, without any more consultation. Designer Alec Issigonis was born in the southern Anatolian city of Smyrna in 1906. But fearful that his freedom would be curbed in such a large company, Issigonis resigned from BMC and went to work for the much smaller Alvis company. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". A British citizen born in Turkey in 1906, Issigonis did not see an automobile until he was 12 years old. 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. My appreciation of Issigonis designs really came when Auntie Merle traded her Austin A30 (horrible car) for a Morris 1100. He was a race car driver during the 30s and 40s. After studying engineering, he joined Morris Motors in 1936 as a suspension designer. Alec Issigonis and Dr Alex Moulton, the creator of Hydrolastic and Hydragas suspension, with a Morris 1100, circa 1962. The all-new Mini will be revealed today, on what would have been Mini creator Sir Alec Issigonis's 107th birthday. Then of course there was severe corrosion in the face of road salt. 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. Alec Issigoniss birth sign is Scorpio and he had a ruling planet of Pluto. And the 1800 the rear seat really seemed limousine-like for the size of the car. [3][6] His father died shortly after and Issigonis and his mother moved to the United Kingdom in 1923. He continued to be responsible for his original XC projects. Issigonis had also been involved in the larger Oxford, Isis and Wolseley ranges. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3million cars. 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. [], BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini in 1959. [citation needed] Issigonis often commented to friends and colleagues that the Austin 1800 (ADO17) was the design he was most proud of, even though it never was as commercially successful as his three preceding designs. He convinced Issigonis to ready the Mini for the Rallye Monte Carlo. While much derided for its lack of style, I do love the huge smile he put on the front of the original 1800 Landcrab. Look what happened to Alan Turing. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. 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. View gallery - 6 images. 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. Born Alexandros Arnoldos Konstantinos Issigonis on the 18th of November, 1906, Alexander Issigonis' family were part of the Greek community in the port city of Smrna. Another Mini! The Mini caused a sensation with its design and rather small size in the late 1950s thanks to its inventor, the Englishman Alec Issigonis. He was involved in engine design as well, requesting unsuccessfully that BL build 4 and 6 cylinder engines for Mini variants. The big steering wheels angle was a bit bus-like though. However, his story proves: never give up your dreams even if life puts obstacles in your way. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. [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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. Youre right about maintenance. Issigonis was excused service in the armed forces and remained at Cowley working on military vehicles of various types, including a very basic compact load carrier often described as a motorised wheelbarrow intended for use in jungle conditions together with an amphibious version designed for use by the Royal Navy. Alec Issigonis was born on the 18th of November, 1906. The Mini was designed by. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. 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. 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.. Alec Issigonis . He did not want more conventional answers, without at least exploring some technical advances. By early 1957, prototypes were running, and by mid-1957 the project was given an official drawing office project number (ADO15) so that the thousands of drawings required for production could be produced. The first front wheel drive car from BL after Issigoniss retirement was the Austin Allegro, still with the gearbox in the sump and without the obvious hatchback. By 1938, Issigonis was lead engineer for steering and suspension for all the Morris car range. In 1952, the year BMC was formed, he moved to Alvis where he designed an advanced saloon, and experimented with interconnected independent suspension systems. 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? Copyright 2023. November 18, 1906 Car designer Alec Issigonis, the man who gave the world the Mini, was born in Turkey on this day to a Greek father and Bavarian mother. Alexandros Arnold Constantine Issigonis, more commonly known as Alec Issigionis, was born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, on November 18, 1906. Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industry's great independent thinkers. (The Maxi, by comparison, was a bland lump.). (I can remember seeing Austin Americas just a few years old being offered up for $50.) 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. But his true interest was in the 9X and its power unit, and getting a version of it accepted by BL. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek city of Smyrna (now zmir) in the Ottoman Empire. To clarify, the Renault 4, 5 (first generation, Le Car), 6 and 16 all had longitudinally mounted engines. 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. Ultimately, Alvis had to cancel the project, after the first prototype had been built but before the company had committed to the expenditure of production tooling. Shunning all offers of silver service with the management. Alec Issigonis was a hugely . 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. In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. The Axis Powers? This was partly because of the cost but also because in 1953 Ford bought Briggs UK operations and 1954 BMC bought Fisher & Ludlow. I hope he knew that he changed the Automobile World for the better. Alec Issigonis Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography . The typical American indifference to regular maintenance did not play well with this setup. Issigonis would work on the 9X programme, which included a replacement Mini and a new and innovative gearless transmission system. info@oxbotica.com +44 (0)1865 433 998. Innovative. It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. MINI, official partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, has unveiled its new London 2012 special, Keith Adams Well, Christmas and Boxing Day are out of the way and the, The replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000 never took off, thanks in part to a poor, British Motor Holdings the joining of BMC and Jaguar, The cars : Mini (ADO15) development story Part One, Concepts and prototypes : BMC 9X (1968-87), Blog : Why the Italians beat us to a supermini by a decade, History : The Road to Perdition Part One, Interview : Alec Issigonis on the BMC 1100, Archive : Mini Shortlisted For Car Of The Century, Archive : Mini still sold at a loss. 41 Copy quote. In 1969, in recognition of his engineering genius, Queen Elizabeth granted him Knighthood. Lords instruction was the one Issigonis had been waiting for, and he quickly developed the first Mini prototype. 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. Dear Mr Day I have not met you but I feel I must write to explain a few points. He title at Alvis was Engineer in charge of passenger car design. When we stopped sending children up chimneys we reemployed them to work or minis. 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. [], 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. 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. Issigonis spent his early years as an engineer with Morris Motors working on steering and suspension.
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