Issigonis - The Genius Today (Autocar 25th August 1979)

[mab01uk]

[Exminiman]

Thanks for posting, really fascinating.

Does anyone know of a recording of him talking ?

EDIT: its also a strong argument for bringing back Polytechnics....

[Thorp]

If you search: Martin Bronstein interviews ALEC ISSIGONIS
on YouTube, quite interesting….

[Exminiman]

That's great thanks, had a quick listen, will bore the family with it later

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2jXxzpHOAg

[Costafortune]

At both 5.39 and at the very end, the unmistakable sound of an early 1100 can be heard at it drives by.

Thanks for posting.

[mab01uk]

[mab01uk]

[mab01uk]

[mab01uk]

From the National Archives of Malta

"100 years ago (1923) Alexander Constantine Issigonis, the designer of the Mini, arrived in Malta as a 15-year old refugee from Smyrna together with his parents Constantine and Hulda. Sir Alec issigonis then left Malta to go to England with his mother, while his father stayed behind in Malta with a few months left to live because of his terminal illness. After their arrival in England his mother left Alec with some close friends to look after him while she returned to Malta where five months later Constantine Issigonis died on the 1/6/1923 and is buried at Ta’ Braxia cemetery."
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=64 ... 4667452924

[Ernst Blofeld]

Terrific stuff - for which many thanks.

Reading about the 9X engine, the thought occurred to me that it’s a shame that Issigonis didn’t apply its constructional principles to the E-Series engine because if anything BMC didn’t need a very small capacity engine, but rather a larger capacity four cylinder engine no heavier than the A-series.

It’s said that Issigonis lost interest in the Maxi once the project got under way, but imagine how different things could have been if the E-series had emerged as a 1.2 to 1.6 litre four cylinder unit, no heavier than the A-series.

There’s a brilliant analysis of the Maxi’s development (and that of the Fiat 128) on the Driven to Write website. The first part is called Last Tango of the Titans - which is my way of saying that I don’t know how to post the link to it, so you will have to Google it.

[Costafortune]

https://driventowrite.com/2019/05/01/fi ... e-history/

[mab01uk]

[Polarsilver]

Having gone through the restoration of my Austin J40 Pedal Car & now understand how that J40 Bodyshell is constructed .. I would suggest that "If" the J40,s inside spot-welded flanges were not inside but Located on the outside of the main body-shell.. you would have the basis of how the Mk1 Mini Bodyshell Construction was achieved.
Maybe the Genius got his ideas from a Kids Pedal Car

[mk1]

An excellent article, highlighting SOME of the weaknesses within BMC.