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. Issigonis became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was knighted in 1969. This is the main reason Lord re-hired Issigonis. I saw one, in 79 or 80, sold here as the MG Sports Sedan. Aos 16 mudou-se para Inglaterra onde iria cursar engenharia. This strong streak of fierce independence and lack of compromise hid his lateral approach to the design and engineering of cars. Its practicality and affordability made it immediately popular; by the time of Issigonis death more than five million had been sold. ADO15, 16 & 17 (36792752942).jpg 1 712 1 936; 589 KB [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. His family had to flee Smyrne to es- cape the genocide of 1922 by the Turks. 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. Im sure this was never part of Issigoniss plan, as he was anti-style, but only the 1100 benefited from external help. Issigonis would later state that pure mathematics (is) the enemy of every truly creative man. He began his engineering career at Morris Motors Ltd. in 1936 as a steering and suspension engineer. [], BMC changed the world with the launch of the Mini in 1959. Lord (later Lord Lambury, above) had big ambitions for BMC and initially tasked Issigonis with developing the basis for a range of modern family cars to replace the existing collection of BMC products. Sir Alec Issigonis was one of the automotive industrys great independent thinkers. I appreciate the research the depth and the smooth writing style to present it all in a gripping way. I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. To clarify, the Renault 4, 5 (first generation, Le Car), 6 and 16 all had longitudinally mounted engines. Sir Alec was a combination of everything that was right AND wrong about the British car industry in his day. Chrysler also took a licence to manufacture the device, which was an integral part of their pioneering overdrive in 1934. 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. I wanted to know the genesis. Beyond the Maxi, launched on 1969, Issigonis had left little visible influence on the new cars coming from British Leyland, and indeed, the company made definite moves that would have been unthinkable to him, such as the bold, deliberately contemporary styling of the Austin-Morris 18-22 (Princess range) or the Allegro, or the conservative engineering of the Morris Marina. It was, though, used on the postwar MG Y Type saloons. If only it had had more power and better gearing. Issigonis grandfather, Demosthenis Issigonis, had emigrated from Paros in Greece to Smyrna (as Izmir was then known) in the mid 19th century where his engineering company helped the British built the Smyrna-Aydn Railway, and through this acquired British citizenship. Alec Issigonis: The Man Who Made the Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, 81; Designer of Minicar And Morris Minor. 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. The childhood . [citation needed] He considered it to be a vehicle that combined many of the luxuries and conveniences of a good motor car with a price suitable for the working classes in contrast to the Mini which was a spartan mode of conveyance with everything cut to the bone. Diz lenda que ele considerava a rigidez . Alec Issigonis Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS, RDI (Alec Issigonis) was born on 18 November 1906 in Smyrna in Greece (now Izmir, Turkey) and would become world-renowned for designing the Mini and Morris Minor for BMC. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [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. Thank you very much for a wonderful biography. Autokonstrukteur, GBPortrt mit Zigarette- 1959. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. The first application of Sir Alec Issigonis' engineering breakthrough - All Photos by Randy Stern, except otherwise noted Remember Sir Alec Issigonis? If (and I have no evidence and make no suggestions) a young Issigonis had been outed in, say, the early 1950s, his career progression would likely have been ended even, without any prosecution. You serve us all wonderfully. Born in Turkey, Issigonis come to England as a teenager. Birth Name: Alec Issigonis Occupation: Entrepreneur Place Of Birth: Turkey Date Of Birth: November 18, 1906 Date Of Death: October 2, 1988 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: Greek Alec Issigonis was born on the 18th of November, 1906. Born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire (now zmir, Turkey) on November 18, 1906, Issigonis immigrated to England with his family in 1922 and later studied engineering at . Austin 1800 (ADO18 Landcrab): Best In Class Or Just Plain Ugly? He title at Alvis was Engineer in charge of passenger car design. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. The Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum is now home to the Issigonis Prototype 1970 Mini 9X 'Gearless', donated to the Museum by the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon, Warwickshire. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Biography: Sir Alec Issigonis The Designer of Britains Favourite Cars, Britains Favourite Car Designer, I have labelled it the Most Significant Car of the 1940s, Vintage R&T Technical Analysis: AMCs New Pacer As Short As A Pinto; As Wide As A Chevelle, Vintage Car Life Comparison: 1961 VW Bus, Corvair Greenbrier, and Ford Econoline Wherein A 40 HP VW Bus Ties An 80 HP Greenbrier In The 1/4 Mile, Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: NSU Ro80 Just Your Typical Bay Area Car Show, The CC Graveyard: Part Three An Exotic Foreigner Hiding In The Bushes, Wordless Outtake: Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Renault, MAN The Subcontractors Sixsome, BOAL: 1982 Honda GL500 Silverwing Chapter 5, The Baby Wing. 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. An amazing man, and someone who would probably never rise to prominence in todays auto industry. This was partly because of the cost but also because in 1953 Ford bought Briggs UK operations and 1954 BMC bought Fisher & Ludlow. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. 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. 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. On the right is Alec Issigonis and standing next to him is John Cooper. That name was now engraved in my mind and as I got older I was drawn to LBCs (Little British Cars.) Issigonis' first cousin once removed was Bernd Pischetsreider, responsible . Issigonis (standing) with the special at Shelsey Walsh hillclimb. Roger, are you saying that Graham Day ended the consultancy and goodwill payments because he was offended by Issigoniss letter? Issigonis was giving punters what they needed, rather than what they wanted. Another Mini!). 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. Dr.Ing. 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. A colleague of his had a VW Polo then and kept shaking his head: Well, yes, if there were no other compact cars in the world , Mr. Roger Carr, Thank you. In 1952, the year BMC was formed, he moved to Alvis where he designed an advanced saloon, and experimented with interconnected independent suspension systems. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . Look what happened to Alan Turing. 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. In 1934 Issigonis was invited to join the drawing office at Humber Ltd in Coventry. 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. There was no radio fitted as he thought it would distract the driver. Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. All Rights Reserved. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (Greek: , )CBE FRS RDI (18 November 1906 2 October 1988) was a British-Greek automotive designer. 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. O interesse pelo automvel veio aos 12 anos, quando ele viu um pela primeira vez. Alecs father, Constantine Issigonis, who was born in Smyrna in 1872, studied in England, and subsequently returned to Smyrna, keeping the engineering business going through the First World War and maintaining his British citizenship. Issigonis actually sketched the Minis original design with a pencil on a tablecloth. Sir Alec Issigonis. He failed his degree course but gained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering, at the third attempt, in 1928. If it was front engined, was it to be rear wheel or front wheel drive? I was mesmerized and I saw my schoolmate being dropped off by his older brother who was on his way to high school. 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. But his true interest was in the 9X and its power unit, and getting a version of it accepted by BL. 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. There he witnessed the awe inspiring (and Nazi funded) Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix cars, as well as the Alfa Romeo P3 of Nuvolari, which won the race, much to the Nazis discomfort. Getting a guy like Issigonis to design a V8 saloon and just chucking it in the bin. However, his story proves: never give up your dreams even if life puts obstacles in your way. I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. But, as ever, events intervened in this case the Suez Crisis of 1956, complete with petrol rationing. Richard Bremneris well-known for being a highly-respected motoring scribe, but in his formative years, he worked in the employ of Austin-Rover. Humber were more interested in the sales engineer than his product, and Issigonis moved to Humber in 1933. Sir Alec Issigonis hadn't even seen a car until he was 12 years old. [], The Mini is 63 years old this week. Sir Alec Issigonis started his career at Humber, known for their Humber Snipe and Humber Hawk models, even Queen Elizabeth II owned a Humber. Sir Alec Issigonis celebrates one of the many milestones of the Mini dynasty. Cylcops center guage; magic wand shift-lever; and bus-sized steering wheel. He remained on the BL books as a consultant until 1988, shortly before his death. You probably know the part about Alec Issigonis being born in the Greek city of Smyrna in 1906, being evacuated to Malta in 1922 following the Turkish invasion, and how he moved to London in 1923 to study engineering. Yes, it ran like hell when operable as the owner treated it like an Army Jeep. Brilliant cars! Issigonis never married; most accounts suggest that he was probably gay but he was obviously unable to express himself without huge risk to his professional status and even the risk of prosecution. Joseph Lowrey, [], The Mini hit its big landmark in 1969, a seismic year in the history of BMC>Rover. Alec Issigonis - Etsy Check out our alec issigonis selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Issgoniss retirement, with George Turnbull, then Managing Director of Austin-Morris. Hulda Issigonis then returned to Malta, leaving sixteen year old Alec alone in London, returning only after Constantine had died. . Harris Mann, having a clean sheet, not giving the Allegro or Princess a hatch in the mid 70s is another matter. Tragically, Constantine Issigonis contracted a serious illness, and died in Malta in June 1923. Did they aim to build in greater volume, to compete with emerging brands such as Jaguar, or did they retreat further upmarket or even entirely into other activities? 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. The above photo is a publicity shot with the first produced Mini, at his retirement in 1972. But it was an exciting period, and youve captured his personality and lasting impact well. [9] He was cremated at the Lodge Hill Cemetery in nearby Selly Oak. Demosthenis's son (Alec's father) Constantine Issigonis (Greek: ), was born, with British nationality, in Smyrna in 1872. At the end of 1955, Issigonis moved to BMC to head up the development of the corporations new family of cars. The mini leaked like a sieve because of the way hed designed the sills and had to be redesigned. 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. In 1942, the first scale model was produced and the following year work began on a hand-formed steel prototype. This page is updated often with fresh details about Alec Issigonis. I dont have any great memories of the Mini to share, though you saw them everywhere. All Rights Reserved. Please check back soon for updates. Your email address will not be published. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS (18 November 1906-2 October 1988) was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959. I am well acquainted with the brilliant/stubborn/arrogant type of engineer, I have occasionally served as a Daniels, and my own brilliant/stubborn/arrogant Grandfather could have probably used one too. He would instead research work on his Mini replacement the 9X with its compact transverse engine. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alec-Issigonis. He showed that cars could be practical and pleasant to ride in and drive, and that size was not everything; he defined the template for the small petrol engined car for 50 years, maybe longer, and showed how modest cars could become wish list items, attracting customer such as Enzo Ferrari. In 1969, in recognition of his engineering genius, Queen Elizabeth granted him Knighthood. Here in Australia they didnt seem particularly small, but they were certainly a lot more roomy than the competition. By the time the chassis had been completed, Issigonis had somehow got hold of an Austin supplied works specification supercharged side-valve engine as well. Moulton also designed folding, rubber suspended small-wheeled bicycles. Enter your username or email to reset your password. 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. The loss of British sovereignty led not only to a political defeat but also to an oil crisis. Alec Issigonis Popularity Most Popular Born in 1906 First Name Alec #31 #1 Entrepreneur Born in Turkey #2 Alec Issigonis Is A Member Of Born In 1906 Entrepreneurs First Name Alec Scorpios Encouraged by the success of the Morris Minor, Issigonis continued his design work at Morris (including work on a replacement for the Minor with a transverse 4 cylinderengine with an endon gearbox) until the merger with the Austin in 1952 to form BMC. Dear Mr Day I have not met you but I feel I must write to explain a few points. He took advantage of other peoples suspension designs, Moultons rubber cones and the isolastic, as they freed up more space. The cars design with its front wheel drive and independent suspension provided good road handling, but Issigonis had scant regard for passenger comfort. Fascinating lost papers from the man who created the Mini and the. He inherited his great interest in technology and machines from his father who, shortly after the turn . Sir Alec Issigonis. He [], DAILY EXPRESS By David Benson Harry Webster is a quiet, unassuming, generous man of 54. 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. . Humber was the upscale brand of the Rootes Group, but also the name of the main car building company in the Group. He died in October 1988, aged 82. Apparently Walter Chrysler could also be difficult to work with. The MG 1100 Sport Sedan a perfect choice when a two-seater MG is too small. He excelled in mechanical drawing, but failed his mathematics exams three times. 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. It was 1961 when the humble little people-mover fell into the hands of British racing legend John Cooper. Sir Alec Issigonis. in there was a 1 hr "The Mini Man " -Sir Alec Issigonis 1906 - 1988 by great friend and car fanatic Peter Ustinov. Issigonis with XC/9001, the car that became the Landcrab. I had a book about Issigonis, but its lost. His retirement gift from the company was the largest available Meccano set, complete with a steam engine. 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. Issigonis usually won, even when entered in the 1100cc class if there was no 750cc category. It amounted to no more than surface rust on the chassis. Sixty years ago today . Whos the richest Entrepreneur in the world. Alec Issigonis: straight from a family thrilled by technology. Alternate titles: Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis. It did get Hydrolastic eventually, then lose it again. Nkter data mohou pochzet z datov poloky. He was impossible to work with, had Henry Fords arrogance and nearly bankrupted the company like Ford, by refusing to listen to anyone. That is how many of us know about these cars or about many 1960s British cars, in general. Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). A family that . 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 . On his side, Issigonis built a large model railway in the double garage that ran out through the walls and around the garden. Alec Issigonis. Alec Issigonis, or more formally Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis CBE FRS RDI* (1906 1988), is best known as the creator of the Mini, but he also designed two other cars that have featured on CC and that are amongst the best-selling cars in British motoring history the Morris Minor and the Austin-Morris 1100 (ADO16). Alec Issigonis (Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis) was born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire (now Izmir, Turkey). Therefore some functionality is missing. The strengths of this sign are being resourceful, brave, passionate, a true friend, while weaknesses can be distrusting, jealous, secretive and violent. His father, a successful and wealthy shipbuilding engineer, was of Greek origin but held a British passport. File nella categoria "Alec Issigonis" Questa categoria contiene 5 file, indicati di seguito, su un totale di 5. 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. Maybe because theyd lost the Issigonis chassis manners? Plenty of space and comfort in the back, as I recall, but my fathers Rover P6 was much more stylish. John Sheppard spent 20 years working with [], Richard Aucock 40 years ago this month, Sir Alec Issigonis, creator of Britains best-selling motoring icons, retired The creator of the original Mini, the Morris Minor, the Austin Maxi and [], Motor magazine, August 1962 WHY IS THE ADO16? . While the intention was for the space efficient FWD cars to replace much of the existing overlapping BMC range (that all should have been hatchbacks in retrospect), it would have been interesting to see a rear-wheel drive Cortina rival with fully-independent suspension derived from Issigoniss work at Alvis to slot between the 1100/1300 and 1800/2200. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS terkenal kerana menjadi pencipta kereta Mini yang menjadi ikon tahun 1960-an. Not sure how true it is, but I read somewhere that he even designed the ashtrays for the Minor. Alec Issigonis is part of G.I. In 1956, the focus was shifted towards a new economy car and from here, the Mini was born in 1959. 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. Gillett was developing a freewheel device for use on cars, partly as a refinement and fuel economy device, and partly to reduce the need for double declutching gearchanges in the pre-synchromesh era. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". An image from the 1964 Racing Car Show in the aftermath of the Mini's first Monte Carlo Rally win. Copyright 2023. 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. Enter a Crossword Clue Sort by Length Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. Well, he went down in history as the father of the Mini and was even raised to nobility for his services. Issigonis's own automotive career as a designer and engineer in England first took shape during the early 1930s when he began working for the vehicle manufacturer . Thanks for this terrific bio on one of the all-time greats in the field. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . The end of the agreement came in 1986, when Issigonis wrote directly to Graham Day, BLs then new Chairman. I was amazed at the amount of space in that car you could even hide things in the cubbyhole under the rear seat. Enter the length or pattern for better results. Issigonis and Dowson then travelled into Austria to the mountain climb competition at the then new Grossglockner Hochalpen Pass. The original plan called for a large family car by 1960, to be followed by a smaller car and then a city car. The floor is flat and low to the ground and windows all round make it seem very airy. 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. A truly fascinating man he was. . Giving the Mini, ADO16 and ADO17 were all designed well before hatchbacks were popular, the beancounters no doubt would be up in arms at the thought of spending more money on tooling for an already old design. He was born on November 18, 1906 and his birthplace is Turkey. But there were other 20th century cataclysms that he lived and worked through as a designer - including the Suez crisis of 1956. * Commander of the British Empire (1964), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1967), Royal Designer for Industry (1964). 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. William Morris (Lord Nuffield) didnt like it, naming it the poached egg and expressed no appreciation of it to Issigonis, until 1951 when 100,000 cars had been built. He and Frank Stephenson are both famous car designers. Alec Issigonis Related Authors Vivienne Westwood Quotes Virgil Abloh Quotes Coco Chanel Quotes Carroll Shelby Quotes After these cars, and the formation of British Leyland in 1968, Issigonis was sidelined by a new influx of engineers led by Triumphs Harry Webster. I remember seeing early Civics with trunks and the early VW Dasher had a trunk, in spite of its fastback bodywork. The inability of these cars to withstand business case scrutiny crucial in the companys decline, and others must also stand up for that -Issigonis didnt claim to be a product planner in the sense Ford would recognise but saw all his cars as separate entities. [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. Even as Britain entered the 1960s, product planning remained something of an alien concept to its native carmakers, the majority of whom viewed such matters as being the sort of recondite nonsense invented in the United States, and best left there. . . ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. Noch ein Mini! We will continue to update information on Alec Issigoniss parents. 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. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. On October 2, 1988, he passed . I fist saw a Mini on my way to middle school in 1965. Issigonis worked as a draughtsman and design engineer, and also in a sales and project engineer role, succeeding in securing Rover as a customer use the freewheel device on the new for 1933 Rover Ten (P1 series, above). He was a race car driver during the 30's and 40's. 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. Many did not even make it through the warranty period without the transmission self-destructing. Sir Alec Issigonis is best remembered for the Austin Mini - a car that revolutionised the small car package and probably saved the British Motor Corporation at the same time. It certainly appeared by the Maxi development era that Issigonis wanted to "do his own thing" as cost cutting and development costs spiraled. Alec Issigonis is a famous Entrepreneur. [], By Clifford Webb British Leyland are selling the Mini at a loss despite the latest price increase and the fact that after 14 years it is still their top export [], Lord Stokes writes to Sir Alec Issigonis on this day. 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. Family Life His father died in 1922, at which point he and his mother moved to the U.K.. Associated With He and Frank Stephenson are both famous car designers. Great article there should be a movie about Issigonis! Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

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