Sticks in my mind I read a road test that put engine speed at 60 around 4,000rpm. He was a race car driver during the 30's and 40's. 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. Sir Alec Constantine Issigonis: The Greek Designer Of The Famous Mini The greatest overall compatibility with Scorpio is Taurus and Cancer. Alec Issigonis Related Authors Vivienne Westwood Quotes Virgil Abloh Quotes Coco Chanel Quotes Carroll Shelby Quotes 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. JUMP TO: Alec Issigoniss biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos and related celebs. This prototype never saw the light of day mores the pity. Issigonis, The Mini Mastermind - On This Day He was reluctant to consider features such as large boots or hatchbacks, or engine access, as important. Happy birthday to the Mini - New Atlas Was it to be front or rear engined? Alec is . I saw that same car several times, so, at least in nice weather, it apparently was a daily driver. Back in 1980 a friends father of mine who was a MP sergeant owned a then new Mini Cooper 1275 cc. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. His father died in 1922, at which point he and his mother moved to the U.K.. Road & Tracks test of the Austin America included the line, Superb four-speed fully automatic transmission makes more difference than youd believe possible. But they also noted that with just a few thousand miles on their test car, there was some issue (I forget what) with the trunk lock, and the outside of the engine was covered with oily black grime. https://www.mini.com/ I dont remember Dad as being what youd call a sporting driver, but he never considered the later Austin-based Oxfords. 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. Diz lenda que ele considerava a rigidez . 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. 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. Please check back soon for updates. Manual transmissions seemed to hold up ok,lasting at least as long as the engine. Suffice to say it was an ambitious project for a family of compact cars - the smaller of the pair shorter overall than . A deeply flawed genius at best. He was known for being a Entrepreneur. Sir Alec Issigonis, in full Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, (born Nov. 18, 1906, Smyrna [now zmir], Tur.died Oct. 2, 1988, Birmingham, Eng. Alec Issigonis Quotes - BrainyQuote Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? Sir Alec Issigonis - Driven To Write It didnt just raise the bar it kicked it into next week ! Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . This car was remarkably light, weighing 587lb, of which the engine contributed 252lb. He didnt say by 1974 in regard to VW and Renault. Speaking of steering, one of the earlier reviews of the Mini contained the sentence, This is the first car Ive driven that caused me to laugh out loud just going around a corner ! Or words to that effect . In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. I have liked them ever since. One tidbit I recall: when the Morris Minor design was almost finished the book showed the designer holding a brass model of the car it was decided to add a few inches of width at the centerline. 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. Issigonis and Dowson then travelled into Austria to the mountain climb competition at the then new Grossglockner Hochalpen Pass. Alec issigonis hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy Alec Issigonis was a hugely . The Greek Designer of the Iconic British Mini Car - GreekReporter.com Certainly, it was not the right job for him, taking him too far away from the sketching and ideas, and into meetings about pay scale reviews and marketing policies. Alec Issigonis and Dr Alex Moulton, the creator of Hydrolastic and Hydragas suspension, with a Morris 1100, circa 1962. He lived and worked in England " A camel is a horse designed by a committee " " Pure Math is the enemy of every truly creative man" Sir Alec's grandfather Demosthenes was sort of a mechanical genius having . At some point in the mid-60s they ran an After the New Wears Off feature by an MG 1100 owner in Los Angeles. Ive often wondered how its 35 horses managed the Berkshires . BMC and Issigonis were awarded the Dewar Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) for the innovative design and production of the Mini. His mother was Bavarian, the daughter of a brewer. Whos the richest Entrepreneur in the world. 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. Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. Alec's mother, Hulda Prokopp, could trace her origins back to Wrttemberg (now part of Germany). Apparently Walter Chrysler could also be difficult to work with. [], The Mini is 63 years old this week. Fascinating lost papers from the man who created the Mini and the. During this time he started to build a special sprint racer with a friend. Issigonis was to use Moultons suspension ideas on all his future cars, with Moulton working in a consultancy capacity to BMC. How about an uncomfortable driver is a distracted driver? My doodles and sketches are not the work of an academic engineer. 41 Copy quote. 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. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. Sir Alec Issigonis started his career at Humber, known for their Humber Snipe and Humber Hawk models, even Queen Elizabeth II owned a Humber. On a cheerier note, Id love to see that Alvin on the flesh. TOP 8 QUOTES BY ALEC ISSIGONIS | A-Z Quotes Alec Issigonis - Etsy Check out our alec issigonis selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. He did not want more conventional answers, without at least exploring some technical advances. German Engineer Who Designed And Built The First Practical Automobile (Crossword ClueThe crossword clue German engineer who designed and built the first practical automobile. He often had to be discreetly talked through financial documents when he was in the board meetings. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. 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. XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the Morris 1100 with the Hydrolastic interconnected suspension system in August 1962. The floor is flat and low to the ground and windows all round make it seem very airy. 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. 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. Alec Issigonis was already known for his popular and respected Morris Minor. He would attend the usual motor shows, but often would refuse to look in detail at the competition, so he did not become confused. 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. And the result was the creation of more than just an economical car. " Sir Alec Issigonis. . Alec Issigonis Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography . Issigonis planned two versions, known as the TA/350 with a 3.5 litre V8 and TA/175 with a 1750cc, V4 engine. On the right is Alec Issigonis and standing next to him is John Cooper. During the war, Morris Motors undertook military work, notably the development of the Morris lightweight reconnaissance vehicle for the War Department. Subsequently my main triumph of design is a carbon block conveyor that fit into an oddly shaped spot while using less pieces of steel than its predecessor. He remained on the BL books as a consultant until 1988, shortly before his death. But it was an exciting period, and youve captured his personality and lasting impact well. Sketch by the late Sir Alec Issigonis, of the original Morris Minor, circa 1946. Sir Alec Issigonis. Getting a guy like Issigonis to design a V8 saloon and just chucking it in the bin. In March 1957 Lord asked (more likely told, as Lord did not do asking) Issigonis to come up with something to compete with them. Alec Issigonis The public don't know what they want; it's my job to tell them. He excelled in mechanical drawing, but failed his mathematics exams three times. 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. XC/9001 became ADO17 and was launched, also with the Hydrolastic suspension system, as the Austin 1800 in October 1964.The same principle was carried over for his next production car the Austin Maxi, However, by then he had become more aware of the cost considerations of vehicle manufacture and in service warranty costs which were crippling BMC. The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3million cars. The closure of the Suez canal created . [12], In 1964 Issigonis was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). During the Second World War, Britain was in control of the Suez Canal, which served as an important source of oil, but this changed during the so called Suez crisis in 1956. Striving to ensure that as much space as possible was allocated to the passengers, Issigonis used Moultons compact rubber suspension and had Dunlop build 10 inch wheels and tyres just for the Mini purely for reasons of space efficiency. The Creator of An Iconic Car: Alec Issigonis. - Mini Thanks for a wonderfully researched article! Biography: Sir Alec Issigonis - Curbside Classic He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. 130 King Street West, Exchange Tower, Suite 1800, Toronto, Canada, M5X 1E3. info@oxbotica.com +44 (0)1865 433 998. Lords instruction was the one Issigonis had been waiting for, and he quickly developed the first Mini prototype. At the end of 1955, Issigonis was recruited back into BMC - this time into the Austin plant at Longbridge - by its chairman Sir Leonard Lord, to design a new model family of three cars. 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. .