Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, known as Alec Issigonis, was a British-Greek automotive designer who lived from 18 November 1906 to 2 October 1988. The source lead credits him with designing the Mini, which the British Motor Corporation launched in 1959 and which was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century in 1999. The lead also gives his name in Greek script and identifies him as a knight, but it offers no detail on his other designs, his career at particular firms or the engineering choices behind the Mini, so this description is limited to what that short lead states about his work and his dates.
Facts
FAQs
Why was the Mini developed so quickly?
Fuel rationing after the Suez Crisis led his employer to order the small car into production as quickly as possible.
Following the fuel rationing brought about by the Suez Crisis at the end of 1956, Issigonis was directed by Sir Leonard Lord of the British Motor Corporation to bring the small car, code-named XC/9003, to production as quickly as possible. Prototypes were running by early 1957 and the car was launched in August 1959. Because of the time pressure, the interconnected suspension Issigonis had planned was replaced by a cruder but equally novel rubber cone system designed by Alex Moulton. The finished car combined front-wheel drive, a transverse engine, a sump gearbox and 10-inch wheels.
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Nationality
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Source Alec Issigonis (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph [nationality]Quote, Lead paragraph [nationality]
was a British-Greek automotive designer
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Alec Issigonis (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph [nationality]Quote, Lead paragraph [nationality]
was a British-Greek automotive designer
Sources
1. Alec Issigonis (Wikipedia)
Lead paragraph
18 November 1906
Lead paragraph [death-year]
2 October 1988
Lead paragraph [nationality]
was a British-Greek automotive designer
In Group: Automotive Engineers and Designers, Lead sentence
Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Άρνολντ Κωνσταντίνος Ισηγόνης) (18 November 1906-2 October 1988) was a British-Greek automotive designer.
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