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'''Nick Tyler''' is
[[Image:Alec issigonis.jpg|thumb|right|Sir Alec Issigonis]]
[[Image:Issigonis factory.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The machine factory (shown here in a company letter of 1910) founded by Demosthenis Issigonis, Alec's grandfather, was one of the thriving Greek businesses in Smyrna (now Izmir). Undoubtedly, it played a role in Alec's affection for Engineering]]
'''Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis''', [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]] ([[November 18]], [[1906]]–[[October 2]], [[1988]]) was a [[United Kingdom|British]] designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the development of the [[Mini]], launched by [[British Motor Corporation|BMC]] in 1959.
== Biography ==
'''Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis''' was born in [[Izmir|Smyrna]] (now Izmir) in [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turkey]]. His grandfather Demosthenis Issigonis migrated to Smyrna from [[Paros]] in the 1830s and through the work he did for the [[United Kingdom|British]]-built [[Turkish State Railways|Smyrna-Aydin Railway]], in the engineering works that he had established, had managed to acquire British nationality. Demosthenis's son (Alec's father) Constantine Issigonis (Κωνσταντίνος Ισηγόνης), was born, with British nationality, in Smyrna in 1872. Constantine studied in England, and later, passed his love of all things English on to his son. Alec's mother, Hulda Prokopp, could trace her origins back to [[Württemberg]] (now part of [[Germany]]).
Because Alec and his parents were British citizens, they were evacuated to Malta by [[Royal Marines|British Royal Marines]] in September, 1922, ahead of the Turkish re-possession of Smyrna at the end of the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)]]. Following the death of his father in 1922, Alec and his mother moved to the [[United Kingdom|UK]] in 1923. Alec studied engineering at [[Battersea Polytechnic]] in [[London]]. He failed his mathematics exams three times and subsequently called [[Pure mathematics|pure mathematics]] 'the enemy of every creative genius'.
Issigonis went into the motor industry as an engineer and designer working for [[Humber (car)|Humber]] and did some motor racing during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1936 he moved to the [[Morris (car)|Morris]] company working on an independent front suspension system for the [[Morris Motor Company|Morris 10]]. The war prevented this design from going into production but it was later used on the [[MG Y|MG Y Type]]. He worked on various projects for Morris through the war and towards its end started work on an advanced post war car codenamed ''Mosquito'' that became the [[Morris Minor]], which was produced from 1948 until 1971. In 1952 he moved to [[Alvis Cars]] where he designed an advanced saloon with all aluminium V-8 engine. This prototype was never manufactured because its cost was beyond Alvis's resources.
In 1956 Issigonis moved back to Morris (which was now part of the [[British Motor Corporation]]) to design a new small car codenamed ADO15 which became the 1959 [[Mini|Morris Mini Minor]] (also known as the Austin Se7en). The Mini went on to become the best selling British car in history with a production run of 5.3 million cars). This ground-breaking design was still being manufactured in 2000 and has been the inspiration for almost all small front-wheel drive cars produced since the early 1960's.
Issigonis (nicknamed [http://motoring.independent.co.uk/features/article301594.ece "The Greek god"] by his contemporaries) was elected as a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]] in 1967 and was awarded a knighthood in 1969. 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. 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.
Sir Alec officially retired from the motor industry in 1971, although he continued working until shortly before his death from [[Parkinson’s Disease]] in 1988.
==See also==
*[[:Category:Issigonis vehicles]]
==Further reading==
* Gillian Bardsley ''Issigonis: The Official Biography'' (Icon Books Ltd, 2005) ISBN 1840466871
*{{cite book | author=Wood, Jonathan | title=Alec Issigonis: The Man Who Made the Mini | publisher=Breedon Books Publishing | year=2005 | id=ISBN 1859834493}}
*{{cite book | author=Nahum, Andrew | title=Alec Issigonis (Modern European Designers Series) | publisher=Hyperion Books | year=1988 | id=ISBN 0850721725}}
==External links==
*[http://www.designmuseum.org/design/index.php?id=98 Alec Issigonis Automotive Designer (1906–1988)] from the [[Design Museum]] in London
*[http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp05435 Portraits of Alec Issigonis] from the [[National Portrait Gallery (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:1906 births|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:1988 deaths|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:Deaths from Parkinson's Disease|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:British engineers|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:Automobile designers|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:British automobile designers|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:British automotive engineers|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:Greek engineers|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire|Issigonis, Alec]]
[[Category:Greek Diaspora|Issigonis, Alec]]
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[[el:Άλεκ Ισσιγόνης]]
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