The relationship got to the point where Issigonis had the ideas, did the sketches and Daniels did the formal drawings. Smrna was then the second city of the Ottoman Empire and had a local population of around one million, of which more than half were Greek. The irony being, of all the cars built in the world that follow his layout, none carry an Austin or Morris badge. 41 Copy quote. Unique. In November 1971, Issigonis officially retired from BLMC, with a major ceremony at Longbridge, for which BL marshalled an example of every car for which he had led the design, of which only the Minor was no longer in production. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. He was also responsible for the development of the Mini Moke, initially intended for military use, though it subsequently became another popular icon of British automotive engineering that, like the Mini, attained cult status. The Morris Minor was an immediate success, selling over 11 million units, and was the first characterization of Issigoniss philosophy of maximizing interior space while shrinking all other components. 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. Alec Issigonis, technical director of the British Motor Corporation and Charles Griffin, chief engineer, answer questions from our technical editor. But beneath this surface, he was a sensitive and more vulnerable person, and was almost certainly (and inexcusably) the subject of some intolerance and prejudice from the UK born staff. Issigonis then went back to the British Motor Corporation, where the influence of many political factors led him to his major breakthrough. Ive never been inside a Landcrab or a Maxi, but I understand that while they are very spacious, the ergonomics are pretty poor. Issigonis' creation was remarkable, but it really only became a Mini when he got a little help from his friend, motorsport pioneer John Cooper. 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. I have labelled it the Most Significant Car of the 1940s; it is probably the most recognised British car, apart from the Mini, and the most fondly remembered car by many British families and motorists. 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. * Commander of the British Empire (1964), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1967), Royal Designer for Industry (1964). 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. Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. It was as modern and progressive in 1948 as the ADO16 Morris 1100 was in 1962, and let down only by the relatively weak and old side valve engine. [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. 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. [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. Austin 1800 (ADO18 Landcrab): Best In Class Or Just Plain Ugly? This prototype never saw the light of day mores the pity. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. Tragically, Constantine Issigonis contracted a serious illness, and died in Malta in June 1923. Austin Maxi: Big On The Inside But Not On The Outside, What a great write up Roger. [5]:277. British car designer best remembered for his work on the development of the iconic Mini. I hardly ever drove a Mini or an 1100, but many miles of driving a Landcrab made me understand why it was so very good, in spite of some engineering shortcuts. A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE OF THE MINI FOUNDER. Back in 1980 a friends father of mine who was a MP sergeant owned a then new Mini Cooper 1275 cc. Even more significantly, it effectively defined the configuration of the small and medium car for the next 50 years. Starting around 1930, he raced a supercharged "Ulster" Austin Seven, later fitting it with a front axle of his own design, leading to employment at Austin. Alec Issigonis Way Oxford Business Park Oxford OX4 2HN United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0) 1865 783 000 Oxford Biomedica Solutions 1 Patriots Park Bedford MA 01730 United States Telephone: +1 781 428 4536 Email :solutions.partnering@oxb.com Oxford Biomedica (Ireland) Ltd Office 502 Balheary Demense Balheary Road Swords Co. Dublin Ireland [9] He was cremated at the Lodge Hill Cemetery in nearby Selly Oak. It was still in production when BMW, led by Bernd Pischetsreider, bought Rover in 1994. 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. Once more details are available, we will update this section. 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. In conjunction with Issigonis work, Lord contracted Pininfarina to lead the styling of BMCs new cars, starting with the conventionally engineered Austin A40 Farina in 1958. 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. I was mesmerized and I saw my schoolmate being dropped off by his older brother who was on his way to high school. John Daly, Your email address will not be published. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek city of Smyrna (now zmir) in the Ottoman Empire. 18 November 1906 2 October 1988", Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, " Alec Issigonis | Automotive Hall of Fame", Alec Issigonis Automotive Designer (19061988), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alec_Issigonis&oldid=1135124708, This page was last edited on 22 January 2023, at 19:54. Biography: Sir ALEC issigonis - The designer of Britain's favourite cars, Britain's favourite car designer . As a matter of interest, go to this site: and click on the Letter From Dr. Alex Moulton link. 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. Alternate titles: Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. 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 Alec Constantine Issigonis, born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire on November 18, 1906, is famous for designing the beloved Mini Cooper motor car. So in here in the U.S. the ADO16 went down in obscurity, while its far less sophisticated but more reliable competition built by the Axis powers took over the small car market. Below are all possible answers to this clue ordered by its rank. The mini leaked like a sieve because of the way hed designed the sills and had to be redesigned. 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. 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. The Mini was designed by. [13], He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1967. Nearly $1900 was pretty stiff pricing for a car that size in the mid 60s, $150 more than a Bug. I do not know how many I have owned Morrises, Austins and MGs. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. Alec Issigonis nasceu na Turquia Filho de um grego naturalizado britnico casado com uma turca. Rover used the freewheel extensively, on cars and Land Rovers, into the 1960s. There he developed the Morris Minor, which remained in production from 1948 to 1971. On the surface it didnt appear very desirable to Me, or to prospective new-car buyers. The closure of the Suez canal created . His name will always be associated with the Morris Minor and the Mini, but he was a complex man with a complex background, family, story and career. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. And the 1800 the rear seat really seemed limousine-like for the size of the car. ADO15, 16 & 17 (36792752942).jpg 1 712 1 936; 589 KB Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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. The all-new Mini will be revealed today, on what would have been Mini creator Sir Alec Issigonis's 107th birthday. Unfortunately the ADO16 did not do well in the U.S. as the Austin America, which was imported here in an attempt to eat some of VWs lunch in the late 1960s. He [], DAILY EXPRESS By David Benson Harry Webster is a quiet, unassuming, generous man of 54. But back in the day, young UK petrolheads had the time of our lives with Minis, modified in countless ways, rocketing around on twisty English roads, and in weekend motorsports. Maybe because theyd lost the Issigonis chassis manners? 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. 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.