Issigonis, Sir Alec

Issigonis, Sir Alec

▪ British automobile designer
in full  Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis  
born Nov. 18, 1906, Smyrna [now İzmir], Tur.
died Oct. 2, 1988, Birmingham, Eng.

      British automobile designer who created the best-selling, economical Mini and the perennially popular Morris Minor.

      The son of a Greek merchant, Issigonis immigrated to London in 1922 during the war between Greece and Turkey. After studying engineering, he joined Morris Motors in 1936 as a suspension designer. There he developed the Morris Minor, which remained in production from 1948 to 1971. A reliable car with excellent steering and cornering qualities, it was the first all-British car to pass the one million mark in sales; surviving models are still cherished by owners and collectors.

      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 Germany's Volkswagen Beetle, he introduced the Mini. The boxy, inexpensive, fuel-efficient Mini used a transverse engine to power its front wheels—a radical design at the time—and thus could comfortably seat four passengers despite being only 10 feet (3 m) long. Its practicality and affordability made it immediately popular; by the time of Issigonis' death more than five million had been sold.

      Issigonis became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1967 and was knighted in 1969.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Issigonis, Sir Alec —  (1906–1988) Turkish born British car designer …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Issigonis — Sir Alec Issigonis, eigentlich Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (* 18. November 1906 in Smyrna,heute Izmir,Türkei; † 2. Oktober 1988 in Longbridge) war ein britischer Ingenieur griechischer Herkunft. Berühmt wurde er als Entwickler der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alec Issigonis — Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS (November 18, 1906 ndash;October 2, 1988) was a Greek British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British… …   Wikipedia

  • Alec Issigonis — Sir Alec Issigonis, eigentlich Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (* 18. November 1906 in der damals zum Osmanischen Reich gehörigen und vorwiegend griechisch geprägten Stadt Smyrna, heute İzmir, Türkei; † 2. Oktober 1988 in Longbridge) war… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alec Issigonis — Sir Alec Issigonis, originalmente Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (18 de noviembre de 1906 en Smyrna (actual Izmir, Turquía) 2 de octubre de 1988 en Longbridge) fue un ingeniero británico de orígenes griegos. Trabajó como desarrollador de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alec Issigonis — Morris Mini Minor Sir Alexandre Arnold Constantine Issigonis, dit Alec Issigonis, (18 novembre 1906 – 2 octobre 1988) était un ingénieur grec, né à Smyrne (Izmir) en Turquie. Biographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • automobile — automobilist /aw teuh meuh bee list, moh bi list/, n. /aw teuh meuh beel , aw teuh meuh beel , aw teuh moh beel, beuhl/, n. 1. a passenger vehicle designed for operation on ordinary roads and typically having four wheels and a gasoline or diesel… …   Universalium

  • industrial design — industrial designer. the art that deals with the design problems of manufactured objects, including problems of designing such objects with consideration for available materials and means of production, of designing packages, bottles, etc., for… …   Universalium

  • Austin Mini Moke — Mini Moke Moke Hersteller: BMC, British Leyland Portugal, Cagiva Produktionszeitraum: 1964–1993 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mini — For the Mini marque, see Mini (marque). For other uses of Mini , see Mini (disambiguation). Mini Manufacturer BMC to MG Rover, and Innocenti …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”