Vic Oak and Reginald Hanks, Morriss Managing Director did though, arranging a 50% salary increase for Issigonis in April 1948, to 1500 per year. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder. He was a race car driver during the 30's and 40's. Are you sure Renault had transverse-engine hatchbacks by 1974? The Mini remains one of the most important motoring icons of the 1960s, so it's only natural that the band would want a piece of the action as Beatles mania took hold. 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, for a small town car. (I can remember seeing Austin Americas just a few years old being offered up for $50.) The Mini quickly became cult and had enthusiastic fans worldwide. 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. [10], There is a road named "Alec Issigonis Way" in the Oxford Business Park on the former site of the Morris Motors factory in Cowley, Oxfordshire. It didnt just raise the bar it kicked it into next week ! He and Frank Stephenson are both famous car designers. 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. In August 1971, Issigonis drove the 2 millionth ADO16 off the line, as the same time as a Mini Clubman, which was the 5 millionth front wheel drive BMC car, came off the line in the next building. He continued to be responsible for his original XC projects. Like many famous people and celebrities, Alec Issigonis kept his personal life private. It was a very ambitious intention, which Alvis were not capable of delivering on without importing a lot of engineering talent. Issigoniss legacy is undoubtedly best seen through his cars, from the Minor to the Maxi, which challenged conventions through engineering ingenuity. Issigonis was a good packaging designer. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . Issigonis would work on the 9X programme, which included a replacement Mini and a new and innovative gearless transmission system. Issigonis returned to BMC to design a range of family vehicles. Demosthenis acquired British nationality through the work he did for the British-built Smyrna-Aydin Railway. At this time, he was working for Maurice Olley. 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. He became the engineering director of the British Motor Corporation in 1964, and was . 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. XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the Morris 1100 with the Hydrolastic interconnected suspension system in August 1962. 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. Tragically, Constantine Issigonis contracted a serious illness, and died in Malta in June 1923. All Rights Reserved. Production only finished after BMW had bailed out of Rover in 2000. He also had plans for a flat four cylinder engine, and at frequentlychallenged convention and Morris Motors conservatism. By 1945, a full scale static prototype close to the familiar production form was completed. At Alvis, Issigoniss main task was to lead the development of a more affordable, higher volume luxury car. He was retired from British Leyland in 1971, memorably being given a Meccano kit for his leaving present. Whos the richest Entrepreneur in the world? He did not want more conventional answers, without at least exploring some technical advances. Alec Issigonis was born in 1900s. 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. That Alvis is one of those missed opportunities that ultimately doomed the company. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). [1][2], Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? 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. (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. Im sure the Renault 4, 5, 6, and 16 had longitudinal engines. Constantine was very proud of his British citizenship and Alec grew up in a traditional British type of household. By placing an A series four cylinder engine transversely with the gearbox underneath in the sump and sharing the oil, and moving the wheels to the corners, he saved so much space that it was possible to accommodate a four seat car within a length of 10 feet. [citation needed], Issigonis was nicknamed "the Greek god" by his contemporaries. Chinese Zodiac: Alec Issigonis was born in the Year of the Rabbit. During the war, Morris Motors undertook military work, notably the development of the Morris lightweight reconnaissance vehicle for the War Department. Enter your username or email to reset your password. Upon meeting Alec, she is shy and ashamed . 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. This car was remarkably light, weighing 587lb, of which the engine contributed 252lb. I thought I knew everything about Issigonis already, but there were some fascinating insights here. Required fields are marked *. In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. I hope he knew that he changed the Automobile World for the better. I got to drive his Red mini when I went for fish and chips on a Friday. Issigonis' first cousin once removed was Bernd Pischetsreider, responsible . His mother was from Bavaria. BMC had already developed, and asked outside consultants to develop, several concepts on various themes, none of which met the targets Lord had set, who was also determined to establish an internal capability to think, as we would now say, outside the box. BMC had internally identified the need to move on from the concepts behind the Minor and A30, leaving behind the classic front engine, semi-elliptic spring concept but there was little clarity on which direction was perceived to be the way to go. Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. His mother was Bavarian, the daughter of a brewer. Issigonis planned two versions, known as the TA/350 with a 3.5 litre V8 and TA/175 with a 1750cc, V4 engine. In the face of all this mayhem, Mrs. Issigonis decided to migrate with Alex to Britain, a land neither knew. 2939 Words; 12 Pages; 6 Works Cited; Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles This guilt convinces Tess that she must now travel to the D'Urbervilles' home and claim kin with them. Sir Alec Issigonis started his career at Humber, known for their Humber Snipe and Humber Hawk models, even Queen Elizabeth II owned a Humber. This was to be an advanced saloon with all aluminium V-8 engine, and the original plan was for Alvis to produce 5,000 cars a year, or ten times Alviss current production rate, to compete with Riley (not then a badge engineered BMC product), Rover, Sunbeam-Talbot and Jaguar. 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. The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3million cars. Stokes was heard on his appointment to say: "We'll sharp sort this bloke Issigonis out!". 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. Alec's grandfather Demosthenis migrated to Smyrna from the Greek island of Paros in the 1830s. Constantine studied in England. The Mini was designed by. The Axis Powers? Morris 1100. Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. There was a long drive way that ran along the school cafeteria that parents used to drop off students in the morning. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. Alec Issigonis is a famous Entrepreneur. It certainly appeared by the Maxi development era that Issigonis wanted to "do his own thing" as cost cutting and development costs spiraled. Issigonis customer in this case was Maurice Wilks, later the man behind the Land Rover. Sir Alec Constantine Issigonis, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire on November 18, 1906, is famous for designing the beloved Mini Cooper motor car. 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. Alec Issigonis. 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. A family that . Great article there should be a movie about Issigonis! All I know is, which car I would rather be in driving if there was any tricky situation [], DAILY MIRROR By Richard Sear No man looks less designed to start off the cult of the miniature. 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. They kept it several years until they decided they needed their 1st air-conditioned car a 66 LeMans. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. 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. It amounted to no more than surface rust on the chassis. He would attend the usual motor shows, but often would refuse to look in detail at the competition, so he did not become confused. He was a race car driver during the 30s and 40s. Issigonis then went back to the British Motor Corporation, where the influence of many political factors led him to his major breakthrough. Dr.Ing. Happy birthday to the Mini! The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Alec Issigoniss birth sign is Scorpio and he had a ruling planet of Pluto. This was the man who persisted in pursuing a gearless car using only a torque converter, who rubbished CAD in favour of slide rules, who did most of his designs in rough and passed them to his acolytes to make real. 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. People of this zodiac sign like truth, being right, longtime friends, teasing, and dislike dishonesty, revealing secrets, passive people. The change was not handled well though, with credible accounts of a literally tearful Issigonis wandering around Longbridge trying to find a new office after returning from abroad to find Webster occupying his office. The third front wheel drive car from BMC was the 1964 ADO17 Austin 1800 (or Landcrab), a car which Issigonis has been quoted as identifying as the design he was most proud of, and then the Austin Maxi in 1969 with less successful results. Style wise, the car has been identified as having a visual similarity to Lancia Aureliathe 1950-58 Lancia Aurelia saloon, with some Morris Oxford overtones and a traditional Alvis style grille added. Noch ein Mini! Alec Issigonis was a Scorpio and was born in the G.I. Dear Mr Day I have not met you but I feel I must write to explain a few points. The Boudjah - Smyrna born Alec Issigonis was an engineering genius and even after his death there is a fan base for his cars. View 6 Images. I was mesmerized and I saw my schoolmate being dropped off by his older brother who was on his way to high school. Issigonis and his team produced a revolutionary car that featured a small exterior with a spacious passenger compartment and outstanding handling characteristics. 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. Autokonstrukteur, GBPortrt mit Zigarette- 1959. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages.
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