As a young man, Constantine was sent to England to study, and he later married Hulda Prokopp, the daughter of a wealthy German brewer in Smyrna. He was reluctant to consider features such as large boots or hatchbacks, or engine access, as important. I saw that same car several times, so, at least in nice weather, it apparently was a daily driver. [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. 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. His fingerprints are all over other cars, too, the Austin 1800 Land Crab and the Austin Maxi for example, but not always as successfully, as we shall see. 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. I was eight when my dad bought one of those brand new cars at a reduced price from the NYC dealer $850 for an Austin 850 ($6,800 in 2016 money) I think you can see a narrower car in one of the pre-production photos, above. 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. 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. Sir Alecs design which we built won the design centre award. . Indeed gay sex was illegal in the UK until 1968 and for many years after prejudice was rife. By October 1959, the Mini was on sale and when the press first got their hands on BMCs new car, they were not shy to praise it; the Minis unique personality, exceptional space efficiency, lively performance and tenacious front-wheel-drive handling meant that it was a sure fire hit with the critics. Alec Issigonis's mother was German, and it was on her side of the family that he was a first cousin once removed to automobile engineer and executive manager Bernd Pischetsrieder. 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. 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. Vic Oak and Reginald Hanks, Morriss Managing Director did though, arranging a 50% salary increase for Issigonis in April 1948, to 1500 per year. But accounts do suggest it done in a pretty crass way. Sir Alec Issigonis celebrates one of the many milestones of the Mini dynasty. Issigonis had some success at club racing level and in 1935 travelled with his lifelong friend George Dowson to the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. The Boudjah - Smyrna born Alec Issigonis was an engineering genius and even after his death there is a fan base for his cars. At the age of 30 he worked for the Morris Engineering Department and celebrated his first success with the construction of the Morris Minor. Whos the richest Entrepreneur in the world? A more powerful engine, bigger brakes and a few tuning tweaks later, the Classic Mini Cooper 997 was introduced. I wouldnt say Day was offended but took it as evidence that Issigoniss time has passed and that the value Rover were getting from the consultancy was minimal, and it was effectively indulging Issigonis, something Turnbull and Donald Stokes could afford t0 do (and knew looked rational) in 1970. Issigonis was dismissive of market research, The public dont know what they want; its my job to tell them and even mathematics, derided as the enemy of every truly creative man. . Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. German Engineer Who Designed And Built The First Practical Automobile (Crossword ClueThe crossword clue German engineer who designed and built the first practical automobile. Im sure this was never part of Issigoniss plan, as he was anti-style, but only the 1100 benefited from external help. He was flattered to be copied, though. In 1957, Issigonis received the project that would make him famous. 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. I caught up to my mate and I said thats a really cool car, what is it? Thats my BrothersMini Cooper. 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. info@oxbotica.com +44 (0)1865 433 998. The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. 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. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis . He often had to be discreetly talked through financial documents when he was in the board meetings. But his true interest was in the 9X and its power unit, and getting a version of it accepted by BL. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . His efforts were concentrated on two things continuing to promote the 1968 9X concept to BLMC, and working on the concept of a gearless version of the Mini, using a torque converter, that was not a technical success. It didnt just raise the bar it kicked it into next week ! A family that . His stubbornness, I would say, had more in common with Ford starting production of the T, when everyone was telling him to make expensive cars because they were more profitable. Updates? Issigonis studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. By 1964, BMC had built over one million front wheel drive vehicles, including over 800,000 Minis and over 200,000 ADO16s, and over a third were exported. In 1942, Morris gave Issigonis overall responsibility for an all-new model; the Morris Minor. Alec Issigonis. Building 9400 Oxford Business Park North Alec Issigonis Way Oxford OX4 2HN 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. But, as ever, events intervened in this case the Suez Crisis of 1956, complete with petrol rationing. Issigonis and his team produced a revolutionary car that featured a small exterior with a spacious passenger compartment and outstanding handling characteristics. [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. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. Brilliant cars! Please check back soon for updates. Most events he entered were sprints and hillclimbs, but he also competed in some circuit races. Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. In 1942, the first scale model was produced and the following year work began on a hand-formed steel prototype. Issigonis quickly arranged for Jack Daniels to move up from Cowley to Longbridge to rebuild their close rapport. 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. Alec Issigoniss mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. Alec Issigonis. Daniels (right) and Sheppard (left), no doubt, had to smooth a few ruffled feathers on the way. 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. 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. The concept of the transverse engine and gearbox combined with FWD, which had previously been used only with two-cylinder two-stroke engines by DKW (since the 1920s), Lloyd and Saab, was adapted by Issigonis for the four cylinder A-block engine for the Mini. He managed to obtain his Diploma, but was not admitted to advanced studies. 41 Copy quote. And the result was the creation of more than just an economical car. ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. 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. This post and its visuals and videos explains this pivotal vector of the international industry with such clarity and depth. 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. My appreciation of Issigonis designs really came when Auntie Merle traded her Austin A30 (horrible car) for a Morris 1100. Manual transmissions seemed to hold up ok,lasting at least as long as the engine. While much derided for its lack of style, I do love the huge smile he put on the front of the original 1800 Landcrab. The gearbox in sump was a dead end in terms of automotive design. Alviss options for body shell production were being reduced, at the same as the estimated costs of the body manufacture doubled. They kept it several years until they decided they needed their 1st air-conditioned car a 66 LeMans. In August 1959 the car was launched as the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven, which soon became known as the Austin Mini. [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. The floor is flat and low to the ground and windows all round make it seem very airy. The boxy, inexpensive, fuel-efficient Mini used a transverse engine to power its front wheelsa radical design at the timeand thus could comfortably seat four passengers despite being only 10 feet (3 m) long. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. Not something one would anticipate until it is experienced. 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. Alexander Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrna (now Izmir) in Ottoman Turkey. Moulton was a scion of the family behind the Avon tyres company and a respected suspension system engineer in his own right who had worked extensively on the concept of rubber as a suspension medium, before working on the hydrolastic and later still the hydragas systems. By 1938, Issigonis was lead engineer for steering and suspension for all the Morris car range. From then onwards, any car in the small or medium market without a transverse engine was considered unusual, and conservative. On his side, Issigonis built a large model railway in the double garage that ran out through the walls and around the garden. He still worked to his consultancy agreement but did so almost exclusively from home, briefing and debriefing nominated BL engineers each morning. What a great, nicely balanced piece about the ever-controversial Sir Alec, and his equally controversial designs. A flawed genius, yes, and BMCs failure to manage him is clear. It has since proved to be the template for the small car for nearly 60 years it has still not been bettered and was followed as early as 1963 by the Autobianchi Primula, which had the first end on gearbox on its transverse engine, by the 1965 Peugeot 204 with a configuration closer to the ADO16 but larger, and 1967 by the Simca 1100, the first to combine an end on gearbox and a hatchback. Issigonis was a good packaging designer. Essay on The Pure Voice in Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Noch ein Mini! 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). Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the Greek community of Smyrnain Ottoman Turkey. I wanted to know the genesis. And the 1800 the rear seat really seemed limousine-like for the size of the car. The irony being, of all the cars built in the world that follow his layout, none carry an Austin or Morris badge. I tell you the last time I was that close to a Japanese machine, it was shooting at me.. XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the Morris 1100 with the Hydrolastic interconnected suspension system in August 1962. 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. Sketch by the late Sir Alec Issigonis, of the original Morris Minor, circa 1946. The Renault 14 was transversely engined, from 1976. He was knighted in 1969 and was honored by the city of Oxford with a street named after him, Alec Issigonis Way. And a rally demon was born. A testament to brilliant design or to the modern industrys tendencies towards aversion of risk, I wont say surely some of both. 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 . BMC was producing over 11,000 Issigonis-designed front-wheel-drive models a week, with demand still exceeding production, which was continually increased. In 1961, a shipload of Minis suffered mild water damage on their journey to the east coast of US. I had a book about Issigonis, but its lost. In 1956, the focus was shifted towards a new economy car and from here, the Mini was born in 1959. But at the age of 50, he began designing one of the most iconic vehicles ever produced: the classic Mini. It really showed up typical RWD cars of the time as being great space-wasters. Bernd Peter Pischetsrieder. Issigonis's mother, Hulda Prokopp, was descended from a Bavarian brewing family who had settled in Smyrna, and established a brewery. 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. George Harriman, Leonard Lord and Alec Issogonis. 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. 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. Enter a Crossword Clue Sort by Length The 1100 and later 1300 outsold the Mini by a considerable margin and remained Britains best-selling car right through the 1960s. It interested me as I had the honour of working with sir Alec for around 3 months. The rest is racing . 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 strong streak of fierce independence and lack of compromise hid his lateral approach to the design and engineering of cars. By the mid 1950s, as Europe got back on its feet after the war, there had been many attempts to define the modern car, but none was proving to be dominantly successful. He was a race car driver during the 30's and 40's. On the surface it didnt appear very desirable to Me, or to prospective new-car buyers. He also worked with Alvis Cars, one of the more obscure carmakers. However, there was more to his life than just one car. Although primarily a station car, my parents also took it on a vacation through New England. 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. . I love the comment made by Red Foreman on That 70s Show when asked about the Toyota Corolla he had recently purchased due to the gas crisis: Bob: Red, a Toyota? 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. 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. Its entirely believable that Issigonis would have been prosecuted if hed had gay sex. He was a complex man, with a complex background, family story and career. At Alvis, Issigoniss main task was to lead the development of a more affordable, higher volume luxury car. Aos 16 mudou-se para Inglaterra onde iria cursar engenharia. Issigonis was giving punters what they needed, rather than what they wanted. Upon meeting Alec, she is shy and ashamed . [citation needed], Issigonis was nicknamed "the Greek god" by his contemporaries. Humber were more interested in the sales engineer than his product, and Issigonis moved to Humber in 1933. Arguably, Issigonis and BL were in danger of being left behind. Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis ( 18. listopadu 1906 Smyrna - 2. jna 1988 Birmingham) byl ecko - britsk automobilov konstruktr narozen na zem dnenho Turecka. By 1945, a full scale static prototype close to the familiar production form was completed. In the face of all this mayhem, Mrs. Issigonis decided to migrate with Alex to Britain, a land neither knew. For many years he was known informally as Arragonis, and was either sufficiently confident in himself or sufficiently lacking in understanding to use that name himself on occasions. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS terkenal kerana menjadi pencipta kereta Mini yang menjadi ikon tahun 1960-an. . 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. Like many famous people and celebrities, Alec Issigonis kept his personal life private. Proslavil se zejmna nvrhem vozu Mini, kter uvedla na trh British Motor Corporation v . [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. He was retired from British Leyland in 1971, memorably being given a Meccano kit for his leaving present. Having failed his mathematics exams three times, subsequently declaring it 'the most uncreative subject you can study',[3] Issigonis decided to enter the University of London External Programme to complete his university education. One thing that I learnt the hard way well not the hard way, the easy way when youre designing a new car for production, never, never copy the opposition, declared Issigonis, when asked to summarise his approach to car design. This prototype was never manufactured because its cost was beyond Alvis's resources. Rover used the freewheel extensively, on cars and Land Rovers, into the 1960s. Alec Issigonis. When is Alec Issigoniss birthday? 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.

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