Alec Issigonis

Sir Alec Issigonis, Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis actually ( born November 18, 1906 in the time of the Ottoman Empire and associated predominantly Greek embossed city of Smyrna, now Izmir, Turkey, † October 2, 1988 in Long Bridge ) was a British engineer of Greek origin. He became famous as the developer of the cars Morris Minor (1948-1971) and Austin Mini ( 1959-2000 ).

Curriculum vitae

The Issigonis family came from the Greek island of Paros and settled in Smyrna, where they operated a machine factory. Alec Issigonis was born as the son of Constantine Issigonis ( Κωνσταντίνος Ισηγόνης ), a Greek, and his Bavarian wife Hulda Prokopp. With the expulsion of the Greeks from Smyrna in September 1922, he fled with his parents on a British ship to England. Issigonis ' father did not survive the flight and died during the crossing.

Early Issigonis discovered his great talent for technical relationships, and he decided to become a car designer. After three years of study at the Battersea Polytechnic School in London, but which he did not graduate, he worked in various drawing and design offices and was eventually incorporated into the design department of Morrisburg.

When Morris (later merged with Austin to BMC), Issigonis (after a spell at the prestigious English car brand Alvis ) then great success with the development of the Morris Minor and the legendary cult car Mini, which began the period of the transverse front engine. In recognition of his achievements in automotive engineering, he was raised to the peerage. In 1971 he was removed from office by the then BMC Chairman Donald Stokes of his duties as technical director and deported in a few significant honor function, which meant de facto his retirement. However, he worked until his death in 1988, continued to technical developments.