You serve us all wonderfully. The Axis Powers? Issigonis was born in Smyrna in 1906. . Thank you very much for a wonderful biography. The original Minor design was so narrow they had to chop it lengthways and widen it. If only it had had more power and better gearing. Alec Issigonis Facts for Kids - Kiddle 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. [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. Thanks for a wonderfully researched article! What a great, nicely balanced piece about the ever-controversial Sir Alec, and his equally controversial designs. The Renault 14 was transversely engined, from 1976. The Crossword Solver found 30 answers to "an alec issigonis family car launched in 1969 (6,4)", 10 letters crossword clue. Alec Issigonis - Etsy 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. Addresses | OxfordBiomedica Durante o curso ele foi reprovado trs vezes em matemtica. Ive often wondered how its 35 horses managed the Berkshires . Issgoniss retirement, with George Turnbull, then Managing Director of Austin-Morris. When is Alec Issigoniss birthday? If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. It was, though, used on the postwar MG Y Type saloons. The innovation he created by switching the orientation of the engine, changing the traditional transmission to a transaxle and sending power to the front wheels was a magnificent idea! 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. Issigonis customer in this case was Maurice Wilks, later the man behind the Land Rover. 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. 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. Another Mini! And his father, a Greek by origin and British by nationality, had inherited a marine engine construction company, an activity that fascinated little Alec. It was a very ambitious intention, which Alvis were not capable of delivering on without importing a lot of engineering talent. Here in Australia they didnt seem particularly small, but they were certainly a lot more roomy than the competition. Alec's grandfather Demosthenis migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s. In 1936, Issigonis moved again, to the Morris Motor Company, as a project engineer on an independent front suspension system for the Morris 10, where his experience at Rootes would start to bear fruit. 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. [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. In 1969, in recognition of his engineering genius, Queen Elizabeth granted him Knighthood. More importantly, the end of the agreement also marked the end of goodwill payments from the Company that covered his nursing care, and he was forced to move from his home to a smaller flat. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. LJK Setright, in his book The Designers describes Issigonis as working as a sculptor works, moving masses into different juxtapositions until his trained eye told him they were right. . Issigonis then went back to the British Motor Corporation, where the influence of many political factors led him to his major breakthrough. 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. Most events entered were sprints, but he also raced at circuits. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It was 1961 when the humble little people-mover fell into the hands of British racing legend John Cooper. 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. Issigonis name will always be associated with the Morris Minor, built for over 20 years, and with the Mini, a car he designed very quickly in the late 1950s and which was built for over 40 years, throughout the tumultuous history of BMC and BLMC, ending only after the BMW led break up of the Rover Group in 2000. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. All Rights Reserved. [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. Alec Issigonis - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia In the face of all this mayhem, Mrs. Issigonis decided to migrate with Alex to Britain, a land neither knew. Omissions? 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. 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. 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. Maybe it takes that sort of single-mindedness, bordering on obsession, to create something different, get it into production in spite of obstacles and naysayers, and make it a success. View 6 Images. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. Updates? Much ADO About Project 15: A History of the Classic Mini Issigonis 'response was dry and forceful:'I'm an engineer. He also had plans for a flat four cylinder engine, and at frequentlychallenged convention and Morris Motors conservatism. Constantine studied in England. 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. Alec Issigonis was born in the Year of the Horse. Constantine married a German lady whose name was Hulda Prokopp and in 1906 they had a baby who they named Alexander Arnold Issigonis, or Alec to his family. The gearbox sharing the sump oil worked ok, but the transmission absolutely pulverised the lubricating qualities out of the oil, and it really required changing every 3000 miles if you wanted the thing to last. . The closure of the Suez canal created . Arguably, Issigonis and BL were in danger of being left behind. 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. Issigonis made a grandfather clock from it, which kept good time. Issigonis usually won, even when entered in the 1100cc class if there was no 750cc category. An advanced 4-speed fully automatic transmission was offered in these that lived in the sump and shared the engine oil, just like the manual gearbox. 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. ALEC ISSIGONIS Automotive Designer (1906-1988) One of the most original car designers of the modern era, ALEC ISSIGONIS (1906-1988) is best known as the creator of the Mini, but also designed two more of the five best-selling cars in British motoring history - the Morris Minor and the Austin 1100. . My sister had an MG 1100 which blew me away in 1970. The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3million cars. 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. Issigonis's mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. 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. Shunning all offers of silver service with the management. It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. [12], In 1964 Issigonis was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). During 1956 Issigonis concentrated on the larger two cars, producing several prototypes for testing. A very enjoyable read on a man whose name I knew in conjunction with so many brilliant designs, but who I previously knew little about. If it was front engined, was it to be rear wheel or front wheel drive? Probably the closest British comparison is the Jaguar Mk 1 which came out in 1955 and was produced at a rate of around 10-15,000 for thirteen years. [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. In 1928 his first job was in the design office of Gillett, an engineering firm in London. 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. Alec Issigonis is part of G.I. It confronted the conservative image of BMC head on, even if the rest of BMC range didnt. By 1938, Issigonis was lead engineer for steering and suspension for all the Morris car range. 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! The above photo is a publicity shot with the first produced Mini, at his retirement in 1972. Issigoniss first project was to design an independent suspension for Rootes highest volume car, the Hillman Minx. Mini: a brief history - The Telegraph
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