alec issigonis family

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. 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. Issigonis was an engineer, first and foremost, but I have used the terms design/designer in this piece, in the way that was contemporaneous to Issigonis and as he would have understood it, although we would now use use engineering. As such he was of the generation who experienced the privations of two apocalyptic world wars. The irony being, of all the cars built in the world that follow his layout, none carry an Austin or Morris badge. Alec Issigonis was born in Smyrna (now Izmir) in Turkey on 18 November 1906 to a British-naturalized father of Greek origin and a Bavarian-born mother. It didnt just raise the bar it kicked it into next week ! The lower picture is is an early (1958) Issigonis drawing of his vision for the Mini. He said the engine was turning 4500 rpm at 68 mph and commented, This seems fast enough for an obsolete three-bearing long-stroke engine., Digging up the articles is left as an exercise for the student. body design expertise was by Italian firm Pininfarina. He was also referred to as the Greek God, perhaps more openly. [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. Where was the gearbox to be fitted on a front wheel drive car? View 6 Images. From then onwards, any car in the small or medium market without a transverse engine was considered unusual, and conservative. His mother was Bavarian, the daughter of a brewer. A British citizen born in Turkey in 1906, Issigonis did not see an automobile until he was 12 years old. I saw this tiny car among the Buicks Oldsmobiles Mercurys and Chevrolet Impalas that were the usual fare. He didnt give a damn about the poor sods who had to work on his cars. I saw about 3 Americas in the wild that I can remember, and 1 example of the earlier MG 1100 Sport Sedan. His father, however, did not survive the crossing. He was flattered to be copied, though. Issigonis legacy. The closure of the Suez canal created . Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis ( 18. listopadu 1906 Smyrna - 2. jna 1988 Birmingham) byl ecko - britsk automobilov konstruktr narozen na zem dnenho Turecka. Issigonis was to use Moultons suspension ideas on all his future cars, with Moulton working in a consultancy capacity to BMC. * Commander of the British Empire (1964), Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1967), Royal Designer for Industry (1964). Alec is . 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. The greatest overall compatibility with Scorpio is Taurus and Cancer. Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS (November 18, 1906-October 2, 1988) was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959. Issigonis made a grandfather clock from it, which kept good time. Ive never been inside a Landcrab or a Maxi, but I understand that while they are very spacious, the ergonomics are pretty poor. Ive often wondered how its 35 horses managed the Berkshires . I saw one, in 79 or 80, sold here as the MG Sports Sedan. 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. This page is updated often with fresh details about Alec Issigonis. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. A flawed genius, yes, and BMCs failure to manage him is clear. 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. Comments about the bus-like steering wheel angle remind me of what I learned about that subject from my Italian cars (Fiats): the relatively horizontal wheel requires/enables the driver to push forward, rather than up, to make a turn a difference that makes better use of the arm, translating to easier and less tiring driving. In March 1957 Lord asked (more likely told, as Lord did not do asking) Issigonis to come up with something to compete with them. 130 King Street West, Exchange Tower, Suite 1800, Toronto, Canada, M5X 1E3. This isnt 1942. The initials "G.I." [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. 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 . The ways in which things went sour for BMC , and for Alec himself, are all too well known: but with this little car, they surely both earned a big place in history. The Renault 14 was transversely engined, from 1976. I think you can see a narrower car in one of the pre-production photos, above. His motor industry career at Humber, and during his time there, he competed in motor racing notably designing his own lightweight version of a supercharged Ulster Austin Seven with his own front axle. His father was a successful shipbuilding engineer, whose own father was from the Greek island, Paros. Issigonis studied engineering at Battersea Polytechnic in London. Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp. But his true interest was in the 9X and its power unit, and getting a version of it accepted by BL. Issigoniss first project was to design an independent suspension for Rootes highest volume car, the Hillman Minx. 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. Another Mini!). Constantine studied in England. 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. All Rights Reserved. A truly fascinating man he was. The big steering wheels angle was a bit bus-like though. Thanks for the great article. Joseph Lowrey, [], The Mini hit its big landmark in 1969, a seismic year in the history of BMC>Rover. The last sighting was of a 71 America, in 81, and looking very well cared for. The MG 1100 Sport Sedan a perfect choice when a two-seater MG is too small. On the surface it didnt appear very desirable to Me, or to prospective new-car buyers. 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? Later, he was working on an independent suspension for the larger Humber Hawk, with another rising star in the industry, Bill Heynes. 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. Post FROM OUR MIDLAND CORRESPONDENT BIRMINGHAM, Nov. 13 The name of the man who will head the British Motor Corporations new amalgamated design unit when []. It was more like a Lancia or a rear drive Citroen than a Rover or a Sunbeam-Talbot. He was impossible to work with, had Henry Fords arrogance and nearly bankrupted the company like Ford, by refusing to listen to anyone. 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. After returning to England in 1922, he enrolled in engineering school, failing mathematics at every turn. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. Issigonis spent his early years as an engineer with Morris Motors working on steering and suspension. His mother was from Bavaria. Unless it was at some very small, unique company; something like TVR comes to mind. He inherited his great interest in technology and machines from his father who, shortly after the turn . He excelled in mechanical drawing, but failed his mathematics exams three times. 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. 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. It was a very ambitious intention, which Alvis were not capable of delivering on without importing a lot of engineering talent. is military terminology referring to "Government Issue" or "General Issue". After briefly working elsewhere in the early 1950s, Issigonis returned to what had become the British Motor Corp., where in 1959, in response to the Suez energy crisis (1956) and the popularity of Germanys Volkswagen Beetle, he introduced the Mini. Another Mini! An amazing man, and someone who would probably never rise to prominence in todays auto industry. Alec Issigonis is a famous Entrepreneur. So Sir Alec Issigonis had an impact on my life. I appreciate the research the depth and the smooth writing style to present it all in a gripping way. . It was at Alvis that Issigonis first worked with another of the influential characters of his career. 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. 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. Independence is one of their greatest strengths, but sometimes they're overly frank with others. August 26, 2019. Great article there should be a movie about Issigonis! ), British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor. Alec Issigonis. 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. Are you sure Renault had transverse-engine hatchbacks by 1974? On the right is Alec Issigonis and standing next to him is John Cooper. You could, however, discern Issigoniss influence on some of BMCs light commercials, especially the underfloor engined JU and walk through EA vans of the late 1960s. His retirement gift from the company was the largest available Meccano set, complete with a steam engine. Tragically, Constantine Issigonis contracted a serious illness, and died in Malta in June 1923. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Oak placed another engineer, Jack Daniels, alongside him to keep his feet on the ground. It amounted to no more than surface rust on the chassis. Upon meeting Alec, she is shy and ashamed . 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. Richard Bremneris well-known for being a highly-respected motoring scribe, but in his formative years, he worked in the employ of Austin-Rover.

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