science · 03 October 1988 · 36 years ago
death
Died 3 Oct 1988 at age 81 (born 18 Nov 1906).
Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was a Turkish-British engineer who was the designer of the Mini car, a landmark in automotive design when the British Motor Corporation introduced the Morris Mini-Minor on 26 Aug 1959. It was only 10 ft long, yet seated four passengers, and one of the lowest priced cars on the market. To save space, the engine was mounted transversely, and it had all-independent suspension. Issigonis believed that “when you're designing a new car for production, never, never copy the opposition.” Thus the Mini looked like no other car, provided a vehicle that carried the greatest payload in the smallest practical space, and incorporated new engineering principles. It remains successful over five decades later because he built it from the start for fuel economy, fast acceleration, maneuverability and ease of parking.
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