Alec Issigonis
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Royal Designer for Industry |
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Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (
Early life and education
Issigonis was born on 18 November 1906 in the Ottoman port city of Smyrna, the only child of Constantine Issigonis and Hulda Prokopp.[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.[4] His maternal ancestors originated in the Kingdom of Württemberg. It was through his mother's kinships that Issigonis was a first cousin once removed to BMW and Volkswagen director Bernd Pischetsrieder.[5]
As British subjects, his father having naturalised whilst studying engineering in London in 1897, Issigonis and his parents were evacuated to
Career
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. 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. This greatly modified machine was replaced with a radical special completed in 1939, constructed of plywood laminated in aluminium sheeting. The suspension was also of advanced design, with trailing arm front suspension attached to a steel cross-member, and swing axle rear, all with rubber springs made of catapult elastic. This car was remarkably light, weighing 587 lb, of which the engine contributed 252 lb. By the time the chassis had been completed (hard labour; it 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. Issigonis usually won, even when entered in the 1100cc class if there was no 750cc category. Most events entered were sprints, but he also raced at circuits.
In 1936, he moved to Morris Motors Limited at Cowley working on an independent front suspension system for the
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. 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. During 1956 Issigonis concentrated on the larger two cars, producing several prototypes for testing.
However, at the end of 1956, following fuel rationing brought about by the
In 1961, with the Mini gaining popularity, Issigonis was promoted to Technical Director of BMC. He continued to be responsible for his original XC projects. XC/9002 became ADO16 and was launched as the
With the creation of
Issigonis was nicknamed "the Greek god" by his contemporaries.[3] Whilst he is most famous for his creation of the Mini, he was most proud of his participation in the design of the Morris Minor. [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 design. [citation needed] Issigonis often commented to friends and colleagues that the Austin 1800 (ADO17) was the design he was most proud of, even though it never was as commercially successful as his three preceding designs.[5]: 277
Issigonis officially retired from the motor industry in 1971. A lifelong bachelor, he still lived with his mother at the time, until her death a year later.[9] Although he continued working until shortly before his own death in 1988 at his house in Edgbaston, Birmingham.[10] He was cremated at the Lodge Hill Cemetery in nearby Selly Oak.
Legacy
On 15 October 2006 a rally was held at the
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.[12]
Honours
Issigonis was appointed a
In 1964 Issigonis was appointed a
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1967.[15]
He was granted the rank of Knight Bachelor in the 1969 Birthday Honours[16] and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 22 July of the same year.[17]
In 2003 he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in the United States.[18]
The Weeny Issi, a car based on Mini in 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V named in his honour.[19]
Some of his cars
- 1948 Morris Minor
- 1948 Morris Oxford MO
- 1959 Mini
- 1962 BMC ADO16
- 1964 BMC ADO17
- 1969 Austin Maxi
Notes
- ^ Cobb, James G. (24 December 1999). "This Just In: Model T Gets Award". The New York Times.
- ^ Strickland, Jonathan (21 March 2007). "How the MINI Cooper Works". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d Wood, Jonathan (26 July 2005). "He made the Mini - and broke the mould". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The creator of an iconic car: Alec Issigonis". MINI. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ ISBN 1-84046-687-1.
- ^ "No. 26869". The London Gazette. 2 July 1897. p. 3638.
- ^ "The Dewar Trophy". Royal Automobile Club. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "The Genuine MOKE® | Steer clear of imitations | Story". 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "The Motor Museum in Miniature". www.themotormuseuminminiature.co.uk.
- ^ Lamotte, Claude (6 October 1988). "Père de l'Austin "Mini" Alec Issigonis est mort" [Father of the Austin "Mini" Alec Issigonis is dead]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- Heritage Motor Centre.
- doi:10.1108/09504120610673141. Archived from the originalon 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
- ^ "No. 43343". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 June 1964. p. 4947.
- ^ "Past Royal Designers". Royal Society of Arts. March 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- .
- ^ "No. 44863". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1969. p. 5962.
- ^ "No. 44904". The London Gazette. 25 July 1969. p. 7689.
- ^ "» Alec Issigonis | Automotive Hall of Fame". www.automotivehalloffame.org. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "IGCD.net: MINI Cooper S Cabrio in Grand Theft Auto V". igcd.net.
References
- Gillian Bardsley (2005). Issigonis: The Official Biography. Icon Books. ISBN 1-84046-687-1.
- Wood, Jonathan (2005). Alec Issigonis: The Man Who Made the Mini. Breedon Books Publishing. ISBN 1-85983-449-3.
- Nahum, Andrew (1988). Alec Issigonis (Modern European Designers Series). Hyperion Books. ISBN 0-85072-172-5.
- Bolster, John (1949). Specials. GT Foulis & Co.
External links
- Quotations related to Alec Issigonis at Wikiquote
- Alec Issigonis Automotive Designer (1906–1988) from the website of the Design Museum in London
- Portraits of Alec Issigonis from the National Portrait Gallery (London)